Published on: Friday, 12 July 2019

The EPA has published the EPA Research Report 282: Reducing Commercial Food Waste in Ireland by CIT researchers Dr Colum Gibson and Dr Sarah Broderick from the Clean Technology Centre. This report was launched at ‘The EPA Forum on Food Waste 2019’.

Through a mapping exercise using national data, it was found that the two leading sources of commercial food waste in Ireland are accommodation (mainly hotels; 24%) and food retail (23%). The remainder covers various other sub-sectors of food service, including food service/restaurants (17%) and workplace canteens (10%). These sub-sectors were chosen for detailed food waste analysis in this research project and were broadly categorised according to food service (which included hotels, restaurants and workplace canteens) and food retail.

Link to the EPA Report: 

Authors: Sarah Broderick and Colum Gibson, Clean Technology Centre, Cork Institute of Technology

EPA-funded research generates a scientific base to support environmental protection.  Projects are carefully targeted to deliver on three key areas: Identifying pressures; Informing policy; and Developing solutions

Identify Pressures

An estimated 1 million tonnes of food waste is generated throughout the food system in Ireland annually. In addition to the lost economic value, this represents a massive waste of resources (land, water, materials), as well as producing associated greenhouse gas emissions. The commercial sector (food wholesale, food retail and food service) accounts for ~17% of food waste in European countries and has been identified as an area that has great potential for food waste reduction. In Ireland, the commercial sector generates an estimated 200,000 tonnes of food waste annually. Prior to this research there was little specific information on the sub-sectors involved, the types of food being wasted and the reasons for that waste being generated. Such information is required to prevent food waste, which, according to the waste management hierarchy, is the preferred option. In order to address this information deficit, food waste mapping of commercial sub-sectors was carried out across Ireland. It was found that four sub-sectors – food retail, accommodation, food service (i.e. restaurants) and workplace canteens – account for up to 75% of commercial food waste. These were investigated and reported on in detail.

Inform Policy

Reducing food waste is a critical step to mitigating global climate change. Target 12.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to halve food waste in the commercial sector by 2030. The revised 2018 European Union (EU) waste legislation, adopted as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan, requires Member States to monitor and report on food waste levels throughout the supply chain. Such information is essential for identifying where food waste is being generated, implementing food waste prevention programmes and tracking progress towards reduction targets. The 2019 EU Delegated Act on food waste monitoring provides a common methodology to support the quantification of national food waste. There is no dedicated national food waste prevention policy or strategy in Ireland. Food waste figures can be extracted from national waste data, but there is no specific reporting system in place for food waste. A formal national policy and food waste reporting system are required to ensure that Ireland builds on the existing national expertise and meets the global food waste reduction target set out by SDG 12.3, as well as upcoming food waste reporting requirements.

Develop Solutions

This research refined the existing national food waste assessment methodology in line with international requirements and applied it to the main sub-sectors identified. A series of sectoral food waste profiles, benchmarks and food waste cost factors was developed – these are needed to ensure that specific sectors, and individual businesses, have the information, skills and tools required to facilitate food waste prevention initiatives. The main project findings have been developed into a suite of sector-specific materials for promotion through sectoral and national stakeholders. Key project recommendations are as follows:

• establish a dedicated national food waste data group to ensure that food waste quantities are measured;
• change current waste contractor reporting to include the assignment of waste collected to relevant business sectors (using the NACE classification);
• provide funding and technical support to help Irish commercial businesses proactively address food waste;
• develop a food waste prevention training programme for food service and food retail sub-sectors;
• implement food waste prevention initiatives in food service at a sub-sectoral level;
• focus initial efforts in the food retail sector on “serve-over” food, which is typically produced in-house.

Contact Details for Principal Investigator

Dr Colum Gibson

Clean Technology Centre

Cork Institute of Technology

Email: colum.gibson@ctc-cork.ie