Lords EU Committee Calls On Commission To Combat Food Waste

The Lords EU Committee has formally issued the first ever “Green Card”, calling on the European Commission to take action to combat food waste.

The Green Card is a new initiative, which enables the parliaments of EU member states to join forces to make proposals to the Commission, and thereby influence the development of EU policy.

The Green Card was proposed in the EU Committee’s report on The Role of National Parliaments in the EU, published in March 2014, and was supported by national parliaments in the most recent survey conducted by COSAC.

“Our aim is to invite the Commission, when tabling a new circular economy package, to adopt a strategic approach to the reduction of food waste within the EU. This proposal was initiated by the United Kingdom House of Lords”

It has been estimated that 89m tonnes of food are wasted each year in the EU, a figure which could rise to approximately 126m tonnes by 2020 if no action is taken.

The Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee addressed the issue in its 2014 report on Counting the Cost of Food Waste. The Green Card invites the European Commission, when tabling a new circular economy package in the coming months, to adopt a strategic approach to the reduction of food waste within the EU.

The Green Card has been endorsed by chairs of committees in 16 out of the 41 national parliaments and chambers of the EU. (see below for list)

All have co-signed a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The letter states: “Our aim is to invite the Commission, when tabling a new circular economy package, to adopt a strategic approach to the reduction of food waste within the EU. This proposal was initiated by the United Kingdom House of Lords.”

For the full letter CLICK HERE

The 16 chambers and parliaments who have supported the Green Card are: