New data released by Eurostat highlights an alarming level of food waste in Greece, positioning the country third among European Union member states for food discarded per capita in 2023.
According to the figures, each resident in Greece wasted approximately 201 kilograms (about 443 pounds) of food annually. Greece’s total food waste for 2023 reached 2.09 million tonnes (about 2.3 million US tons). The volume of food waste across the EU was significantly lower than in Greece, standing at 130 kg (about 287 pounds) per person annually.
This places Greece in the third worst position across the EU. Only two other countries recorded poorer figures in terms of food waste per resident — Cyprus and Denmark.
Analysis of the total wasted quantity of food reveals that households are the primary contributors. Greek households were responsible for 44.3% of Greece’s total food waste, corresponding to 926,509 tonnes (about 1.02 million US tons).
The remaining 56% of the food waste is distributed across other sectors of the Greek food supply chain. These sectors include primary production, processing/manufacturing, trade (retail), and catering/food services.
The good news is that Greeks appear to be growing more careful regarding food waste — an optimistic trend noted by Dimitris Nentas, General Director of the Food Bank in a statement made to Kathimerini. He highlights that, due to the cost of living, Greek households account for less food waste than the European average.
European households were identified as the main source of overall EU waste as well, accounting for 53%. This equates to 69 kg (about 152 pounds) per inhabitant for EU households on average.
The issue of food waste is widespread across the European Union. In 2023, the EU collectively generated a massive 58.2 million tonnes (64.15 million US tons) of waste.
