That food waste has negative consequences for our environment and climate is nothing new. The total amount of food waste in the EU in 2020 caused greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to no less than 16% of the total emissions of the entire food system in the EU, which obviously is 16% too much... Food waste causes us to use natural, scarce resources such as land, water and energy unnecessarily, but also the time, energy and efforts of the producers aren’t valorized the way it should.

Mid-March the European Parliament gave the green light to tougher targets to reduce food waste, with an overwhelming majority of 514 votes (out of 705).

What exactly does this proposal entail?

"The Parliament urges EU countries to take action to reduce food waste at all levels, from production to distribution, including restaurants, caterers and households. This includes a variety of measures, such as encouraging the use of "ugly" fruits and vegetables (shouldn't we change something about this?) smarter packaging to keep food fresher longer, clearer labeling of expiration dates, and donating unsold but still edible food."

Parliament has also set new goals to drastically reduce food waste by 2030. They aim for a reduction of at least 20% in the food processing industry and 40% per person in retail, catering, food services and households. In addition, it is considering setting even more ambitious targets for 2035, with a minimum 30% and 50% reduction, respectively.

Get Wasted provides an innovative solution to address food waste at the beginning of the food chain, by encouraging professional processors further down the chain to reuse these qualitative surpluses. We do this by matching buyers and sellers of waste streams. The matchmaking platform acts as a virtual marketplace where food producers, processors, distributors and wholesalers can efficiently trade surpluses like for example second choice products, slightly damaged products or excess supply.

With our Get Wasted philosophy we want to enhance the circular economy, focusing on reusing, recycling and repurposing resources to minimise waste and maximise value. It is a convenient and cost-effective solution for companies looking to manage their food waste more effectively. It allows them to find buyers for their excess inventory, generating additional revenue while reducing their environmental footprint.

The ultimate goal of Get Wasted? To contribute to a more efficient, resilient and fair food system for future generations. And we'd love to do that together with you!