Looking for sources of data to fill the gaps of missing food waste data

The WASTEWISE researchers, led by SLU partners, have explored different sources of data that can be used to bridge data gaps previously detected in the project. They analysed data sources available in literature, collected data from private companies and producer cooperatives in Spain and Italy, and surveyed farmers in Romania. They also looked at recent studies on national food waste quantification in Switzerland.

This exploration of new data by the WASTEWISE consortium is an effort to fill some of the many gaps found while mapping the state of the art of food waste quantification in the EU. In 2018, the EU Waste Framework Directive was amended to make food waste reduction a formal objective at the Union level. Because reliable and comparable baseline data is necessary for both the creation of effective food waste reduction strategies and for measuring progress towards food waste reduction goals, the Delegated Decision 2019/1597 introduced a harmonised methodology for EU Member States to quantify food waste.

The first official data collection based on this methodology was carried out between 2020 and 2021. In 2024, the WASTEWISE consortium reviewed the quality reports submitted to Eurostat for the year 2022, considering it to be the most reliable data available, and conducted surveys and interviews of people responsible for national reporting. This assessment found three major data gaps in European food waste quantification: 1) a lack of disaggregated and statistically detailed data, 2) unclear original measurements methods, and 3) limited methodological transparency in waste management data.

With the aim of finding new sources of information to help bridge the data gaps detected, the WASTEWISE partners studied food waste data from sources other than the ones reported by Member States to Eurostat. The diverse composition of the WASTEWISE consortium permitted greater access to literature and data, including information published in local languages, which provided a broader understanding of the data gaps related to food waste and loss in Europe and how they can be filled.