International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste September 29

Launched in 2020, the United Nations (UN) has set 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. An estimated 17% of global food production is wasted (11% in households, 5% in food services, and 2% in retailers). Reducing food loss and waste is essential to ensuring food security for all, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources (land, water, energy) and improving food quality.

The national pact to combat food waste sets the goal of reducing food waste to 50% by 2025 in France.

Useful resources on combating waste

In France, 10 million tons of food are wasted per year throughout the production chain. Each of us wastes about 50 kg of food a year when eating at home, in a restaurant or in a canteen, or the equivalent of a hundred meals! By changing our behaviors, we can reduce food waste and environmental impacts.

General information:

• International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste : The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations launches a webinar to which you can subscribe. It publishes a guide to 15 practical tips to reduce food waste and become a food hero.
• Food waste: definition, challenges and figures : a comprehensive dossier from France Nature Environnement, the French federation of nature and environmental protection associations, which works to reduce food waste at local and national level.
• Combating food waste : a complete file from the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Fighting food waste: French laws : be familiar with French legislation to combat food waste (the national pact to combat food waste, the Garot Act and the EGalim Act).
• Consumers, producers, territories: all concerned by the fight against food waste : The Ministry of Agriculture publishes a complete file.
• Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy: Flagship Measures : getting rid of disposable plastic, better informing the consumer, fighting waste and solidarity-based re-use, acting against planned obsolescence and producing better: these are the main challenges of the anti-waste law for a circular economy.
• Good Reflexes for More Responsible Consumption : the site dedicated to extending the life of our objects to reduce our amount of waste.
• What do I do with my garbage? : a simulator to know what to do with your old paint jars, electrical appliances, computer or used clothes.

Practical tips for fighting everyday waste:

• Too Good To Go : the french antigaspi platform to buy surprise baskets composed of unsold goods of the day at a reduced price.
• HopHopFood : a free app, available on smartphone or online, facilitates food donations between individuals. Are you going on holiday and your fridge is still full? Post an ad with photos of food to give away for free.
• Geev : an app to donate and retrieve free items and food around you.
• 50 tips to reduce your food waste : practical tips to apply during your shopping, to store and preserve your food, to cook...
• A tidy fridge: better preserved, food is less wasted : an infographic to visualize how to store your food in your fridge.
• Magic Fridge : an app to get recipes based on what you have left in your fridge or cupboards. Simply tick the relevant products in the application. 4,800 quick and easy recipes are available.
• Cold chain and expiry dates, what you need to know : know the difference between the use-by date and the date of minimum durability to better consume food without throwing anything away.
• 6 solutions to throw away less and better : The Ademe proposes simple solutions to put its garbage can on the diet.
• How to hunt down food waste : an infographic to know the anti-gaspi solutions at all stages.
• Eating better, wasting less : A guide to healthy and sustainable diets.
• Coffee break, lunch break: stop wasting : tips to become a little more environmentally responsible in the office.