István Nagy: Food waste is the number one sustainability problem of the food chain

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 10. 02. 11:55

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Food waste is the number one sustainability problem of the food chain, not traditional animal husbandry, irrigated farming, or large-scale food production, said the Minister of Agriculture at the conference on the prevention of food waste.

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy gives an opening lecture at the conference on the prevention of food loss and food waste in Várkert Bazaar (MTI/Tamás Kovács)

István Nagy highlighted that food waste in the European Union (EU) is one of the most important problems in terms of the operation of the food chain at an event organized jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the framework of Hungary’s EU presidency.

According to his description, more than 58 million tons of food waste was generated in the EU in 2020, which is responsible for the emission of 252 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and unnecessarily led to the loss of 342 billion cubic meters of water. Therefore, reducing food waste is one of the priority topics of the Hungarian EU presidency, he said.

He added that it is necessary to find solutions that can be used to meet the goals set out in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in a sustainable manner, provide high-quality, affordable products, and also contribute to the competitiveness of producers. A reasonable balance must be found between environmental protection goals and the needs of the economy, he emphasized.