Austria's households waste 800 euros in food every year!

Austria's households waste 800 euros in food every year!

In Austria, a frightening amount of food is thrown away annually. According to a current analysis of the [5min.at] (https://www.5min.at/5202505260706/800-euro-pro-year-so-female-life, households throw up food worth up to 800 euros per year. This corresponds to the value of about two monthly purchases. It is worrying that almost two thirds of the food waste is created in their own home, which corresponds to an average of about 75 kilograms of food per person per year.

Bread, fruit and vegetables end up in the trash particularly often. In the meantime, around 420,000 people in Austria suffer from severe nutritional poverty. In addition, 1.6 million people are threatened by poverty and social exclusion. The number of people in absolute poverty, which is supported by “Die Tafel Austria”, rose by alarming 67 percent from 2023 to 2024. Children and adolescents are also increasingly affected, which indicates the urgency of the problem.

awareness of consciousness and education initiatives

In order to counter the problem of food waste, the organizations "Die Tafel Austria" and "Land create life" focus on extensive formation of consciousness. "Die Tafel Austria" offers various formats for knowledge transfer, while "Land creates life" provides free teaching material for teachers. This should develop a better understanding of food and their value.

In addition to education initiatives, there are political efforts to reduce food waste in Austria. A WWF survey shows that the SPÖ, NEOS, FPÖ and Greens support a "binding package of measures" against food waste, while the ÖVP also recognizes a solution. Dominik Heizmann emphasizes that election promises have to be implemented into concrete projects. The most important proposed measures include avoiding food surpluses and a more effective passing on food donations.

Environmental and economic costs of waste

food waste not only has social, but also high environmental costs. According to [dietafeln.at] (https://dietafeln.at/wir-for-ein-Meihmenpaket- against-foods/), around ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to food waste. In addition, the losses increase production costs and thus also the food prices, which further affects social income.

The problems caused by food waste are significant. Resources such as water, soil and energy are wasted while people suffer from nutritional poverty. In order for these challenges to be addressed, comprehensive measures and strong social mobilization are necessary.

Action week for food value estimate

The focus is on tips and tricks for Shopping planning, food storage and remaining recycling -essential aspects to reduce food waste that can support consumers in their daily decisions. Information on this can be called up on the website of the DetailsOrtÖsterreichQuellen

• www.5min.at
• dietafeln.at
• www.bmel.de