Food waste presents a serious global challenge that goes beyond economic and environmental dimensions, pointing to a deep imbalance in the world. While millions of people go hungry, enormous quantities of food end up as waste. The United Nations has recognized this crisis and set the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 as the Second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
According to UN data, today, two billion people worldwide do not have regular access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. If current trends continue, projections show that more than 600 million people will be chronically hungry by 2030. Although food waste is not the primary cause of these statistics, changing how food is managed, from production to consumption, could significantly contribute to reducing global hunger.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) points to the fact that in Europe, 50 million tons of fruits and vegetables are wasted every year solely because they are not the proper shape, representing an economic loss of 140 billion euros. On a global level, about 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted annually from farm to table. In our region, Serbia leads in the amount of food waste, with as much as 700,000 tons annually, while Croatia wastes 400,000 tons, and Slovenia 140,000 tons.
It is often mistakenly believed that organic waste has no significant environmental impact. However, if food is not appropriately managed, it does not become valuable organic fertilizer but ends up in landfills, emitting methane during decomposition – a greenhouse gas far more harmful than carbon dioxide.
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Although a significant portion of organic waste comes from households, food waste occurs throughout the entire supply chain, including production and retail. Retail chains frequently order excessive amounts of food, and high prices lead to many products remaining unsold by their expiration date. This issue garnered particular attention in Serbia a few years ago when campaigns were launched to raise awareness about food waste. A central focus was the Value Added Tax (VAT) law, under which a 20 percent VAT must be paid on donated food. This discourages retail chains from redirecting unsold but usable food to those who need it most. Consequently, it is often more cost-effective for companies to discard food rather than donate it.
Although the priority is to direct edible food to those who need it most, what can no longer be used for human or animal consumption can gain new value through the production of biofuels, thereby reducing both waste and greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously.
While many retail chains do not pay enough attention to the issue of hunger, the British retailer Sainsbury’s, in cooperation with its supplier RenECO, has found a way to reduce food waste and contribute to environmental goals simultaneously. This marks a complete change in their logistics fuel supply, specifically for heavy goods vehicles. Starting in March this year, 30 trucks in this retail chain will switch from diesel to biofuel derived from food waste. The biogas produced through this process will be used to create liquid biofuel suitable for heavy trucks. It is important to note that this process utilizes food that can no longer be donated or used for animal feed.
Estimates show that this will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3,000 tons, which the company highlights as equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of over 1,900 households. Currently, these 30 trucks represent half of their fleet, but the company has set an ambitious goal: achieving net-zero emissions in its operations by 2035.
Prepared by Katarina Vuinac
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