Bestack participates in EU programme to tackle food waste

The Bestack Consortium has been appointed a member of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste for 2022-2026 set up by the European Commission in 2016 to support achievement of the sustainable development goals set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda (Goal 12). These goals aim to halve per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level by the end of the decade and reduce food losses along the food production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

Together with Last Minute Market and Slow Food, over the next five years the consortium will represent Italy within Europe in the work to determine the action that needs to be taken to reduce food waste (including in the fruit and vegetable sector) in collaboration with all players in the supply chain, from production through to trade, packaging and end consumers.

“Our appointment to the platform as a representative of the Italian business community is a major recognition of all our efforts, our tireless research and our perseverance in applying this research to the supply chain,” said Claudio Dall’Agata, managing director of the Bestack Consortium. “For years we have been working hard to reduce food waste by raising awareness among sector companies and by seeking to engage with the Italian fruit and vegetable supply chain and the retail sector so that they understand the strategic and ethical importance of these issues. We now have the opportunity to share our insights and work with important organisations and research bodies and to collaborate directly with the political representatives who are responsible for drafting future guidelines.”

Members of the new platform for 2022-2026 include public entities (Member States/EFTA countries, EU bodies and international organisations) and 45 representatives of the food value chain. Other organisations involved at a European level include FreshFel Europe for the fruit and vegetable chain, Copa Cogeca representing European farmers and agri-cooperatives, Eurocommerce (European retail and wholesale association, represented in Italy by Federdistribuzione) and Euro Coop (European Community of Consumer Cooperatives).