According to the fourth waste survey conducted by the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih), food waste in Hungarian households has decreased by 27 percent since 2016.
The results of the measurement, which took place with the participation of more than 500 households in a record number, show that food scraps, vegetables and fruits, as well as baked goods continue to be thrown unnecessarily into the trash, Nébih said in its statement sent to MTI on Tuesday.
According to the information, since 2016 Nébih has been measuring the amount of food waste based on the European Union methodology in its No Leftover program, the actual waste in 2016 was about half of all food waste, 33.1 kilograms. The amount of food thrown away unnecessarily has decreased to 24 kilograms since the start of the program, which represents a 27 percent decrease.
It was explained in the announcement that a significant reduction was measured in bakery products, in 6 years the annual waste per capita in the case of bread, muffins and buns decreased by almost 60 percent. According to the results, Hungarians also deal more consciously with ready-made meals, as they managed to cut almost 25 percent of waste in this category. Despite the improved results, prepared foods still lead the top list of the most wasted food (10.06 kg/person/year), followed by fresh vegetables and fruits (4.53 kg/person/year), baked goods (2.72 kg/person/year), followed by dairy products (2.10 kg/person/year).
The total amount of food wasted by Hungarian households is still 230,000 tons per year, and 430,000 people could eat enough of this amount of food for a year, assuming 3 large meals a day. This is precisely why continuous education is extremely important, in which the interfaces of the Nébih Maradék sélen program – website, Facebook, Instagram – also help, the authority pointed out.
According to Nébih’s statement, approaching September 29, the international day for awareness of food loss and waste, it is good news that Hungarians are increasingly aware of food. By 2030, by maintaining the current rate of reduction, Hungary can reach the sustainable development goal of the United Nations (UN), and consumer food waste would be halved. The fact that 80 percent of the households participating in the survey stated that they would be able to reduce the amount of food thrown away, even if to a small extent, is a cause for confidence.
In the announcement, they pointed out that worldwide, food waste generated in households is responsible for 50-60 percent of food loss in the entire food chain. 25 percent of the food waste generated in households was composted. There is room for further improvement in the environmentally friendly treatment of food waste, as half of all food waste can be composted.
(MTI)
