29.09.2020: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss & Waste
date: 23/10/2020
On 29 September 2020, the world celebrated the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) for the first time.
The United Nations General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. The goal is to raise awareness to the importance of the problem and its possible solutions at all levels, and to promote global efforts and collective action towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3.
European Commission activities
The European Commission contributed to the first IDAFLW by organising a number of activities in order to inform and engage citizens and stakeholders regarding food loss and waste prevention, including:
- A statement on the importance of tackling food waste, issued by the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides and a news article, co-signed with the German Minister for Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, published in the daily German newspaper WELT;
- Video speeches by Commissioner Stella Kyriakides at events organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) to commemorate the day;
- Intervention by Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, at an event organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Brussels;
- A social media campaign launched on the day with advice for citizens on how to avoid food waste at home, in cooperation with the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste;
- A special edition of the Platform's newsletter.
© European Commission
Calendar of events carried out by members of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste
The members of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste prepared a series of events and activities to mark the first edition of the IDAFLW. You may find a calendar of these events on the European Commission’s website.
More information about the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste can be found on the European Commission’s IDAFLW webpage.
© FAO
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