Food waste in Germany

In Germany, around 10.8 million tonnes of food waste are generated every year (as of 2022). Anyone reducing food waste hence makes an active contribution to resource conservation and climate stewardship.

Food waste is generated in every sector – from primary production to private households. Hence the food supply chain must be shaped in such a way as to prevent food waste and loss in every sector and at the interfaces between the sectors. For this, we need behavioural changes in all stakeholders and a stronger focus on the interfaces between the sectors.

• The majority of food waste happens at consumer level. In order to make a significant reduction in food waste, there need to be changes made to food environments as well as measures introduced to promote behavioural changes.
• To make reductions in food waste more binding, it is being examined whether legislative changes are required and expedient.
• Together with other competent ministries, the BMEL is examining tax breaks and benefits under liability law in order to make it even easier to make food donations.

Recording of food waste in Germany

The measuring of food waste plays an important role. Only if we know where and why food is thrown away can we take targeted measures to reduce the amount of food that is wasted. Within the scope of EU reporting, the food waste levels along the entire food supply chain for Germany were calculated in 2020 and reported to the EU Commission in June 2022. These figures were supplemented by measurements in the dialogue forums. These forums provided significant data, for instance in assessing the impact of measures, identifying the type of waste more precisely and considering in depth other material flows not devoted to food.

Continued development of the strategy

With the “Good Food for Germany” food and nutrition strategy, the Federal Government is pursuing the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 12.3. Together with all stakeholders, food waste in Germany is to be halved in all sectors by 2030, and food losses reduced. To this end, the National Strategy for Food Waste Reduction is continually refined and developed. The reduction of food waste is a task for society as a whole. Civil society, industry, administration and scientists are therefore called upon to become actively involved in the implementation:

• Dialogue forums were set up for the sectors along the food supply chain, from primary production, processing, wholesale, retail and away-from-home catering to private households: The members of these forums worked together and were supported scientifically in order to identify the greatest potential for reduction, develop specific measures to reduce food waste and loss and, where possible, develop sector-specific targets.
• The joint body of the Federal Government and the Länder is another component in the implementation process. It acts an inter-ministerial, cross-Land governance body, flanks the implementation of the Strategy and identifies further fields of action.
• The “AG Indikator SDG 12.3” working group coordinates the reporting on food waste in Germany under the German Sustainable Development Strategy, the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive. The members of the working group comprise representatives from the BMEL, the Thünen Institute, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Statistical Office.
• The ongoing evaluation of the National Strategy ensures that the processes and measures are reviewed in terms of their benefit and can be improved in due course if necessary.

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The dialogue forum on primary production and processing

According to current figures from EU reports for 2022, which the Federal Statistical Office collected in 2024 under commission to the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV), the processing sector causes 15 percent of the annual 10.8 million tonnes of food waste in Germany. Primary production causes 2 percent. However, this only covers waste collected by licensed waste disposal services. Under EU stipulations and the definition of waste, the figures do not include other material flows, such as use as animal feed, in farms’ biogas plants, or losses that occur before and during harvests and slaughter.

The dialogue forums on reducing food waste in primary production and food processing were coordinated by the German Agricultural Society (DLG) between 2020 and 2022. Both dialogue forums were scientifically flanked by the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute with the aim of improving the data situation for these sectors.

An intensive exchange of information and experiences was organised via ‘Round tables’ for the individual economic sectors and product groups. In the course of these round tables, work was carried out in cooperation with farms and companies to identify specific measures to reduce food waste, test these on demonstration farms and evaluate their sustainability. The measures targeted primary production and processing but also the interfaces with up- and downstream economic sectors.

The dialogue forum for wholesalers and retailers

The dialogue forum for wholesalers and retailers was coordinated by the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) between September 2019 and the end of 2022 and scientifically flanked by the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute of Market Analysis. Various effective reduction measures were identified and evaluated during a number of working meetings (cf. final report). In addition, cross-forum workshops and events were held, e. g. on the use of artificial intelligence.

To map the reduction of food waste in wholesale and retail over a longer period of time, the members took measures to improve the data situation and to add to existing sources of data. An interim report outlines the progress made in implementation by early 2021 and two monitoring reports present the data situation.

On 27 June 2023, the BMEL and 14 German food wholesalers and retailers adopted an agreement on reducing food waste. In the ‘Pact against Food Waste’, the undersigned companies pledged to adhere to specific reduction targets and mandatory reduction measures, both within their own businesses and at the interfaces between upstream and downstream sectors of the food supply chain. This agreement will apply until 31 December 2031 and sets out a road map for further exchange between the BMEL and food retailers. The implementation of the target agreement, in particular reaching the targets, will be flanked and monitored by the Thünen Institute for Market Analysis, an independent institution within the portfolio of the BMEL. The outcome report for the first year of implementation of the Pact against Food Waste was published on 3 December 2024 and draws a positive interim conclusion: according to the report, many farms were able to significantly lower their waste – by 24 percent in total.

The dialogue forum on away-from-home consumption

The away-from-home market has a potential for saving 30 to 50 percent of the food waste it generates. This is shown by the results of the waste measurements and analyses that United against Waste e.V. carried out in cooperation with different businesses. Twelve model farms were able to cut food waste by an average of 25 percent over the three-year project period of the dialogue forum on away-from-home consumption.

The dialogue forum adopted a target agreement coordinated by WWF Germany in April 2021. In the agreement, the undersigned associations declare their willingness to reduce food waste by 30 percent by 2025 and by 50 percent by 2030. The agreement covers the whole of the sector, including staff canteens, hotels, hospitals, retirement homes and schools. The BMEL-funded Centre of Excellence for Food Service (CoE) was established to encourage as many companies in the away-from-home catering sector as possible to take part in the implementation of the target agreement. The Centre is headed by United Against Waste e.V. (UAW). The CoE advises catering establishments who want to take part in the strategy. The Thünen Institute as a scientific partner carries out sustainability assessments showing how effective the implemented reduction measures are.

The dialogue forum on private households

58 percent of food waste that occurs in Germany is produced by consumers in private households. The first dialogue forum for private households therefore identified promising approaches and measures to reduce food waste, tested these in cooperation with actors already active in this field, and reviewed their effectiveness using a standard measurement method developed in the dialogue forum. The project partners Slow Food, the Ecologic Institute and the Technical University of Berlin brought all stakeholders together for discussions in regular network meetings.

Due to the vital importance of private households in terms of reducing food waste, the BMEL is supporting the continuation of this project. The “private households 2.0” dialogue forum started in October 2023 and is coordinated by Slow Food Deutschland and the Technical University of Berlin. In the three years to come, the forum will be used to optimise the developed measurement methods and make them available as a user-friendly app feature. It will also work with external partners to develop and implement new, effective measures at consumer interfaces together and continue to promote further networking and exchange between all relevant stakeholders. In addition to this, the dialogue forum will work together closely with the BMEL’s Too good for the bin! initiative.

Further implementation steps

The implementation of the coalition agreement will also include examining measures relating to liability and tax law that facilitate food donations. It is intended to use the knowledge gained inter alia for the planned revision of the “Guideline on donating food”, thereby making this knowledge available to the wider public.

Information on already existing tax breaks for donations of unsold food is available here.

The reform of the EU marketing standards for fruit and vegetables entered into force on 1 January 2025. This reform could have a positive effect when it comes to food waste reduction as inter alia it extends the exemptions from the marketing standards.

In concrete terms, this means:

• There are exemptions for products marked with the words “intended for processing” that are presented for retail sale and intended for processing.
• Products that do not conform to the specific marketing standards due to ‘force majeure’ (e.g. heavy rainfall, flooding) may also be marketed if they comply with the general marketing standard (e.g. “intact”).
• In addition, marketing standards relating to products for donations were simplified. They too now only have to conform to the general marketing standard. Provided the product is clearly labelled to inform that it is for donation, no other labelling is required.

Promoting Tafel Deutschland

The BMEL supported the project “Tafel macht Zukunft – gemeinsam digital” between 2019 and 2022. As part of this project, the so-called “eco platform” (“eco platform” project of Tafel Deutschland e.V.) was developed which can be used to simplify the donation process for unsold food that is still edible and to improve this process using digital tools (digitalised delivery notes and route planning). The eco platform focusses on the interface between food-donating companies and local food banks.

 

Based on this project the BMEL started promoting a new, three-year digitalisation project (“TafelConnect”) in October 2023. During this project the process for large donations (more than ten pallets), for example from producers, via the Tafel head organisation and regional distribution centres will also be digitalised.

Too good for the bin! as a baseline

The BMEL launched the “Too good for the bin!” initiative in March 2012. This has focused the public’s attention on the issue of food waste and made consumers have a greater appreciation of food. Too good for the bin! is continually developed and is being extended to include the entire food supply chain. The measures and progress of the strategy will be published regularly on www.zugutfuerdietonne.de. 

Released 16. Apr 2025 as article