Food rescue: WWF demands measures against massive waste!

Food rescue: WWF demands measures against massive waste!

Österreich - On May 26, 2025, the WWF Austria exhausts the “Food Rescue Day” in order to draw attention to the pressing problems of food waste. According to current estimates, around 40 percent of the food produced worldwide are wasted. In Austria alone, where over 1.2 million tons of food remain unused annually, this corresponds to about 135 kilos per capita. Dominik Heizmann, an expert in sustainable nutrition at WWF Austria, emphasizes that the waste not only means a loss of resources, but also causes considerable environmental pollution through the consumption of water, energy and fertile soil.

The initiative today aims to draw the attention of the public and in particular politics to the need for measures to contain food waste. The WWF has presented a comprehensive five -point package of measures to be handed over to the Federal Government. This includes:

• Binding reduction goals for all food chain.
• Expansion of reporting for food waste.
• clear rules for dealing with surpluses.
• facilitating food donations to people affected by poverty.
• revision of the legal framework for food donations.

Environmental pollution and clever shopping

The WWF emphasizes that the largest proportion of food waste consists of fruit, vegetables, bread and pastries. On the other hand, the greatest environmental impact on meat waste is due, although these are incurred in lower quantities. The production of animal food is extremely resource -intensive and is often accompanied by the clearing of species -rich habitats and the use of harmful chemicals. Heizmann calls to proceed more consciously when shopping, especially in the barbecue season.

parallel to the actions in Austria, a growing alliance against food waste, consisting of organizations such as German Environmental Aid (DUH) and the WWF Germany, also tries to make political changes. The DUH calls for binding reduction goals for all industries by 2030 and обозначает that May 2, as a "day against food waste", is a symbolic time when all foods produced since the beginning of the year are statistically thrown away. The required measures include legal clarity for food rescue and the absence of aesthetic standards in retail.

strategic developments and the future outlook

The national strategy for reducing food waste in Germany pursues the goal of reducing waste by 50 percent by 2030. Every year there are around 10.8 million tons of food waste in Germany, which arise in all sectors - from primary production to private households. In order to counter this challenge, the strategy relies on more cooperation between civil society, economy, administration and science.

Latest initiatives such as the dialog forum to optimize measurement methods and the establishment of platforms to improve exchange illustrate progress in combating food waste. The development of the competence center to avoid food waste, which has been the central point of contact for companies since 2025, also shows the serious will to reduce food waste. However, these various efforts are directly related to the demands and plans from Austria, which are intended to offer far -reaching measures to solve the problem.

Overall, the "Day of Food Rescue" is an important step towards sustainability and resource conservation, which is intended to stimulate both politics and consumers to take more responsibility.