site.btaBulgaria Has Largest Share of People Unconcerned about Food Waste - Bulgarian Food Bank Executive Director

Bulgaria has the largest share of people who are unconcerned about food waste, according to a European Commission survey conducted in March 2025 among 25,000 people. Bulgarian Food Bank Executive Director Tsanka Milanova presented reporters with the survey's findings here on Friday.  

The survey shows that 47% of Bulgarian consumers often throw food away.

Another 33% are described as pragmatic - unsure whether the food is still safe to eat, they prefer to discard it just to be on the safe side. Only 20% of respondents reported a more responsible attitude toward food, saying they value it and dispose of it only when absolutely necessary, Milanova said.

She cited the latest Eurostat data, published Thursday on World Food Day. In 2023, the European Union (EU) generated 58.2 million tons of food waste, meaning that each European wasted 130 kilograms of food per year. Households were responsible for 53% of the total, while industry accounted for 47%. The retail and distribution sectors accounted for the smallest share at just 8%.

Compared to the previous year, the data point to a slight increase - less than 1% - and the problem persists, Milanova said. This comes despite the EU’s recent adoption of targets for all Member States: a 10% reduction in food waste during production and processing and a 30% reduction at the household, retail, and food service levels by 2030.

Milanova said that the situation in Bulgaria is similar. In 2022, the country generated around 615,000 tons of food waste, or an average of 93 kilograms per person per year. Households accounted for 43% of that amount, followed by food production and processing (24%), restaurants and catering (16%), and retail and distribution (6%).

The organization reports steady growth in the amount of food saved from waste which provides significant support to people living in hardship and poverty across the country. In 2024, the Bulgarian Food Bank rescued 431,600 kilograms of food worth BGN 2,298,702, which reached 83,335 people through 280 organizations, programmes, and services across the country. By the end of September 2025 alone, 364,973 kilograms of food worth BGN 2,625,312 had already been saved, benefiting 72,015 people through 257 organizations, programmes, and services. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of more than 51% in the amount of food saved.

The event featured a demonstration of what 93 kilograms of food - the amount each Bulgarian wastes annually - actually looks like and how to arrange products in a refrigerator to keep them fresh for as long as possible. The seven golden rules for reducing food waste were also presented.