site.btaEU to Introduce First Mandatory Food Waste Reduction Targets

Mandatory targets for reducing food waste are being introduced at European Union level for the first time. The targets cover all main stages of the food chain, from production and processing to retail, public catering and households. This sets a clear and measurable long-term commitment for the member states and creates a common framework for coordinated action, the Agriculture and Food Ministry said for BTA’s EU Lex BG section.

The ministry responded to questions concerning the transposition of the EU Waste Framework Directive into national legislation. The new rules on food waste, which the European Parliament approved in September 2025, aim to build a more sustainable and circular economy.

Under the European Parliament’s decision, by 2030 the member states will have to reduce food waste generated by households, retailers and restaurants by 30% compared with the 2021–2023 levels. They will have to reduce by 10% the waste generated by food processing and food production.

The targets are ambitious, but it is believed that striving to achieve them will contribute to more efficient use of natural resources, reducing the environmental footprint of food systems, improving the sustainability and competitiveness of the agri-food sector, and changing consumer behaviour and attitudes towards food, the Agriculture and Food Ministry commented. It noted that applying the new directive will require closer cooperation between institutions, business and civil society in order to meet the targets set and ensure more sustainable management of food resources in the country.

In response to questions from BTA on the same topic, the Environment and Water Ministry said that, together with the Agriculture and Food Ministry, it has taken an active part in the development and coordination of the amendments to the Waste Framework Directive regarding food waste and reducing food loss across the entire food chain.

The transposition of the directive into national legislation, the Waste Management Act, must be completed by June 2027. A working group with representatives of the responsible institutions and interested organizations will be set up for this purpose, the Environment and Water Ministry said. It added that the specific measures and actions the state must take to meet the European requirements will be included in the next National Waste Management Plan and, more specifically, in the subprogramme for preventing the generation of food waste.

The Bulgarian Food Bank, one of two licensed food bank operators in the country, told BTA that it is currently working with members of the European Food Banks Federation on a joint advocacy campaign for legislative change.

Under the new European directive, the member states must bring into force the legislative, subordinate and administrative provisions by June 17, 2027.

The EU estimates that the bloc generates about 130 kilogrammes of food waste per person every year, which amounts to 60 million tonnes in total. In Bulgaria in 2023, the average person threw away 93 kilogrammes of food, according to Eurostat data cited by Bulgarian Food Bank Executive Director Tsanka Milanova. This amounts to 614,000 tonnes discarded each year. According to Milanova, more than 340,000 tonnes of waste are generated in the food industry alone in Bulgaria.