EU food waste reporting still faces methodological and transparency challenges

The European Union has established a comprehensive framework for monitoring and reporting on food waste through the adoption of Directive (EU) 2025/1892. However, significant methodological and transparency challenges can still affect the quality and comparability of the data reported by Member States. These challenges were examined by Claudia Giordano from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) in a study presented at the RETASTE 2026 conference.

The research analysed the 2022 food waste data submitted to Eurostat by 29 countries, combining a systematic review of Eurostat datasets and quality reports with an assessment of the methods used to measure food waste. The researchers examined aspects such as definitions, sampling approaches and extrapolation procedures. They also collected additional information through questionnaires sent to all 29 countries and semi-structured interviews with representatives from 18 countries, with the results subsequently shared with national reference points for validation.

The analysis revealed substantial gaps in transparency and methodological consistency. These include limited data disaggregation, missing indicators, unclear documentation of original measurement methods and differences in how EU methodologies are interpreted and applied. In some cases, data provided by waste management companies lacked sufficient information on sampling strategies, coverage and protocols, making it difficult to verify how figures had been generated or scaled up to national estimates. The study also highlights challenges linked to outdated proxies, differences in sample representativeness and loss of institutional knowledge due to staff turnover.

These findings point to the need for stronger methodological harmonisation, greater transparency and better documentation to produce more reliable and comparable food waste statistics—an essential basis for evidence-based policymaking and monitoring progress towards EU food waste reduction targets.

Listen to Claudia Giordano in this video about food waste quantification in the European Union and the new EU Directive.