The Department of Economic Development, Environment and Sustainability of the Basque Government, through the Elika Foundation, has prepared a pioneering study in Spain and Europe to measure food waste throughout the agri-food system of the Basque Country by applying the guidelines provided by the European Commission, through its Delegated Decision 2019/1597 of May 3, to standardize the measurement.

Conclusions

According to the conclusions of the study – carried out by a multidisciplinary team of experts, using the methodology established by the European Commission – the total amount of food waste (edible and inedible) generated in the Basque Country throughout the entire agri-food chain (first sector, transformation, distribution, HORECA and households) is 311,558 tons per year. This means an average of 142 kilos per person per year. It must be said that this amount is significantly lower than the European average, estimated at 173 kilos wasted per person per year, according to previous studies.

Of this total, households produce 44.7% of the total, followed by distribution and manufacturing, around 20% and 23% respectively.

Around 28% of what is wasted would be EDIBLE, which means 40 k/person/year.

If we talk about the so-called “potentially usable materials” quantified in the production and transformation phases, we would be talking about 4,332,945 tons per year. This represents an important potential for improvement in the Basque agri-food chain, seeking formulas for a better valorization of these products and thus generating added value for all the agents in this chain.

This quantification will lead us to prevention, the main reduction mechanism in our hierarchy of uses, and to establish a continuous dialogue between all the agents, jointly responsible for the problem and the future solutions that will require the collaboration of the entire Basque food system.

More info here.