The Portuguese government has announced that it will cut the national food waste output by half – a goal that it has pledged to achieve by 2030.
This is the central aim of the National Strategy to Combat Food Waste (ENCDA), approved last month by the Council of Ministers. It also reflects the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of responsible production and consumption, which includes halving per-capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030.
According to the most recent estimates, food waste in Portugal amounts to roughly a million tonnes per year.
Action Plan
The ENCDA includes an action plan that mandates the implementation of 14 measures to stimulate the repurposing of food through several mechanisms that will be introduced shortly.
One such measure is the creation of specific outlets for end-of-life products within supermarkets and hypermarkets that are easily visible to shoppers, which maintain all food safety conditions.
A pilot food donation platform, which aims to facilitate contact between donors and recipients, will be in place by October, effectively establishing a food circuit and removing tonnes of wasted food.
Another measure is the creation of a distinctive seal identifying companies or operators that carry out pioneering initiatives in the fight against food waste.
A food waste index will also be added to official statistics, along with production and consumption indices. Within two years, the information required to set up a section with indicators dedicated to food waste should be complete and made available for public review on the National Institute of Statistics website.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
