Food waste: Commission adopts guidelines to facilitate food donation

The Commission adopted on 16 October 2017 guidelines to facilitate food donation in the EU. The aim is to clarify relevant EU legislation and help lift barriers to food donation. The EU guidelines will help donors and recipients of surplus food to make sure that they respect relevant requirements such as food hygiene and food information to consumers. The guidelines also promote common interpretation of EU rules applicable to food donation, including those related to VAT. 

The EU guidelines were developed by the Commission in close cooperation with the members of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste bringing together Member States, international organisations, industry, food banks and other charity organisations.

More information available at this webpage.