Under the auspices of the Finnish Presidency to the Council of the EU, the Commission organised, on 12 December 2019, a public conference dedicated to food loss and waste prevention. The event, held on occasion of the 7th meeting of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, helped to define the EU action agenda and path towards the global target of halving food waste by 2030. In an interactive format, speakers and audience discussed the Platform’s recommendations for action in food loss and waste prevention, published on that day, and their role in mobilising EU action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 12.3. In line with the integrated, holistic approach needed to tackle food waste, the Platform recommendations address action required, at each stage of the food supply chain including food redistribution, and involving all key players from the public and private sectors.

The conference was open to all stakeholders active in food loss and waste prevention, interested to know more about and contribute to the EU’s work in this field. For organisations that are not part of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, participation in the event was limited to one person per organisation.

Please note that registrations for this event are now closed.

Webstreaming

The event was webstreamed and the recording is available on the Commission’s Food waste website in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Gereman and Finnish.

food waste | environmental policy | pollution control measures | circular economy | food safety | animal health | foodstuffs legislation | EU food chain
Thursday 12 December 2019, 10:00 (CET)
Brussels, Belgium
Live streaming available

Programme

12 Dec 2019, 08:30 - 20:00 (CET)
Conference facilitated by external moderator/journalist
Registration
8.30 – 10.00 Registration and welcome coffee
Welcoming remarks
10.00 – 10.15 “Stepping up the EU’s fight against food waste”, address by Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health
10.15 – 10.30 Opening remarks by Jaana Husu-Kallio, Permanent Secretary of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland
Combatting food waste
10.30 – 11.00 “Food loss and waste prevention – making the business case for people, business and our planet”, Keynote presentation by Dr Liz Goodwin, World Resources Institute
11.00 – 11.30 “EU action to fight food loss and waste – what have we achieved and where are the challenges ahead?” by Sabine Jülicher, Director, Food and feed safety, innovation, DG SANTE and Chair of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste
11.30 – 12.00 Presentation of the national Finnish food waste prevention programme by Minna Huttunen, Senior officer, Food policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland
12.00 – 12.30 Q&A with audience
12.30 – 13.00 Food Heroes Awards – introduction by Marjon Krol, Project leader Food Heroes and presentations by finalists – Naomi Smith (enVie), Wouter Bruins (In Ovo) and Axel Briere (Mussella)
13.00 – 14.30 “No food waste” lunch
EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste: recommendations for action in food loss and waste prevention
14.30 – 16.30 Presentation of recommendations for action for each stage of the food supply chain (primary production, manufacturing, retail, hospitality/food service, consumption, food redistribution), as well as cross-cutting recommendations and discussion with audience
Round table including:
- Anette Toft, Chair of the working party on Foodstuff, Copa-Cogeca
- Bruce Learner, Senior Manager, CSR and Partnerships, Kellogg Europe, representing FoodDrinkEurope
- Vic De Meester, Head Environmental Department, Colruyt Group, representing EuroCommerce
- Johannes Cornelis Kant, Head of Public Affairs, Royal Dutch Horeca Association (KHN), representing HOTREC
- Ylva Haglund, Food Waste Campaigns Manager, Zero Waste Scotland
- Jacques Vandenschrik, President, European Food Banks Federation
- Anne-Laure Gassin, policy officer, DG SANTE E1 and Chair of the Platform’s Action & Implementation sub-group
16.30 – 16.45 Coffee break
16.45 – 17.45 Enabling food loss and waste prevention: role of public authorities
Interactive round table discussion with:
- Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, Head of Unit, SANTE E1, European Commission
- Rosa Rolle, Team Leader, Food Loss and Waste, Nutrition and Food Systems Division, Food and Agriculture Organisation
- Deputy Mayor Tine Heyse, Mayor for Environment, Climate, Energy and North-South of the City of Ghent
- Angelina Balz, Desk Officer, Sustainable Nutrition, Reduction of Food Waste, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Germany
- Minna Huttunen, Senior officer, Food policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland
- Marija Batinić Sermek, Head of Sector, Service for Food Quality and Food Information, Ministry of Agriculture, Croatia
- Daniëlle Kretz, Team Coordinator for 'Sustainable Food', Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, The Netherlands
- Cécile Fèvre, Mission Leader Waste Prevention, Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, France
17.45 – 18.00 Closing address: “Moving forward towards SDG 12.3” – Anne Bucher, Director-General, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
18.00 – 20.00 Networking drink

Practical information

When: Thursday 12 December 2019, 10:00 (CET)
Where: Albert Borschette Conference Centre
Albert Borschette Conference Centre, Rue Froissart 36, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Who should attend: All stakeholders active in food loss and waste prevention
Website: EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste
Social media links: @Food_EU
#FoodWasteEU