Food waste in Ireland is above the EU average

In 2020 in the EU, nearly 59 million tonnes of food went to waste. That is 131 kg wasted food per each of us living in the European Union or roughly 10% of all food supplied to restaurants, food services, retail and households. Households in the European Union could save 220-720 euros on average every year by reducing food waste. This would mean an over 6% decrease in the share of food expenditure in total household expenditures. 

Households are responsible for over half (53%) of food waste in the EU, followed by the processing and manufacturing sector (20%), the primary production (10%), restaurants and food services (9%). Looking at what makes up the EU food waste, fruits and vegetables take the largest portion in the bin, accounting for 27% and 20%, respectively. Cereals (13%), meat (10%) and potatoes (10%) have a considerable share as well.