EU wastes around 130 kilos of food per person each year
Households cause more than half of food waste, but agriculture, industry, hospitality and retail also contribute.
Around 130 kilos of food per person are wasted each year in the European Union. The 2023 figures include both edible and inedible parts and show that households are responsible for the largest share.
Eurostat estimates that around 58 million tonnes of food waste were generated in the European Union in 2023. That amounts to approximately 129 to 130 kilos per person. The difference in rounding arises because European publications sometimes present the same data as 129 or 130 kilos.
Households accounted for 53 per cent of the total, or around 69 kilos per person. The remainder arose earlier in the food chain: in food production and processing, restaurants and catering, agriculture and retail. Responsibility therefore does not lie solely with consumers.
The European Commission defines food waste as wasted material discarded in the production chain or by consumers. This may be edible food, but also parts that are not eaten, such as peelings or bones. The figures are therefore not the same as the weight of food that consumers could have eaten.
The waste has economic and environmental consequences. Land, water, energy and labour were used to produce the food, and transport was involved. When food is thrown away, those resources are largely used without the nutritional purpose being achieved. The European Commission estimates the economic value of the waste at around €132 billion per year.
The European Union has since tightened its rules. A revision of the Waste Framework Directive, which entered into force in October 2025, contains binding reduction targets for member states. The precise implementation is the responsibility of national governments and must take account of differences between agriculture, industry, hospitality, retail and households.
The figures do not show which measure is most effective. For households, better planning, smaller portions and clearer best-before information may help. In the food chain, possible solutions include production planning, storage, selling imperfect products and redistributing surpluses. The statistics show the scale, but not automatically the cause in each country or sector.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Around 58 million tonnes of food waste were generated in the EU in 2023.
- Households caused more than half of it.
- The EU has introduced binding reduction targets.
- The figures are estimates and include edible and inedible parts.
Left
Arguments Food waste is a collective problem that should be addressed primarily through rules and public infrastructure. Producers, supermarkets and the hospitality sector have more power than individual consumers to prevent waste in the chain.
Values Climate responsibility, social justice and protection of public resources.
Consequences Stricter targets may reduce waste, but entail reporting costs and adjustments in production and sales.
Centre
Arguments The government should set clear targets, but give sectors room to choose the most effective solutions themselves. Measuring, comparing and tightening requirements gradually prevents rules from unintentionally harming food safety or affordability.
Values Efficiency, proportionality and cooperation between government and business.
Consequences A gradual approach may retain broad support, but could deliver results less quickly.
Right
Arguments Much waste arises from the wrong incentives, overproduction and consumer choices. In this view, innovation, better logistics and price incentives are more effective than detailed regulations or additional burdens on businesses.
Values Market forces, freedom of choice and entrepreneurship.
Consequences Flexible solutions can be efficient, but without minimum standards there is a risk that social and environmental costs will not be adequately taken into account.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The statistics and policy context were checked directly against Eurostat and the European Commission. The text makes clear that the figures are estimates and also include inedible parts.
- confirmed Around 130 kilos of food per person were wasted in the EU in 2023. — Eurostat reports around 130 kilos per person; the European Commission uses 129 kilos as the rounded figure. source
- confirmed The EU produced around 58 million tonnes of food waste in 2023. — Eurostat gives the figure as 58.2 million tonnes. source
- confirmed Households caused 53 per cent of food waste. — Eurostat and the European Commission give this share. source
- confirmed The economic value of the waste is estimated at €132 billion. — Estimate by the European Commission. source
- confirmed The revised Waste Framework Directive contains binding reduction targets. — Mentioned by the European Commission when the revision entered into force. source
Editor's note
The figures are Eurostat estimates for 2023 and include edible and inedible parts. Rounding differs between European publications; that is why around 130 kilos has been used in the headline.Sources
- 130 kg of food wasted per person annually in the EU — Eurostat
- Food Waste — European Commission
- Revised Waste Framework Directive enters into force — European Commission
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „voedselverspilling europese unie”
- FD — „voedselverspilling europese unie”
- AD — „voedselverspilling europese unie”