High levels of food waste are a direct outcome of an unsustainable industrial food system that treats food as a commodity, rather than as a valuable resource. Tackling food waste requires a systemic approach, addressing all stages of the food supply chain from production to consumption. A sustainable food system should contribute to health, ecological balance, economic viability, social equity, ethical production, and community resilience.

In the European Union, approximately 58 million tonnes of food are wasted or lost annually. EU legislation, like the Waste Framework Directive currently under negotiation, does not fully meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste. Therefore, the role that municipalities can play is pivotal in driving this transformative change.

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How can they do it? Strategies for reducing food waste locally

1. Reimagining local food systems: 

To rethink the current food system and develop an effective food waste prevention plan, cities should systematically analyse food waste levels and their underlying causes, involving diverse stakeholders to design holistic strategies that tackle unsustainable food practices at their source. Cities should prioritise prevention, and when unavoidable, redirect food for human consumption before recycling it into animal feed, compost, or energy. Successful food waste strategies require coordinated actions across various sectors.

Paris serves as a strong example, having adopted a comprehensive approach to food waste reduction through its Circular Economy Plan and Climate Action Plan. Key initiatives include reducing food waste in public procurement, engaging Parisian shops and food markets in the effort, and raising awareness among citizens. This approach is projected to create 66,500 full-time jobs and reduce total household waste by 7%.

2. Stimulating the local food system:

Municipalities should focus on shortening supply chains to reduce food losses, lower costs, and minimise emissions. By supporting initiatives that directly connect producers with consumers, cities can foster local economies, ensure fair prices, and promote urban and peri-urban food production. For instance, the Portuguese city of Porto has developed a network of 13 vegetable gardens and manages six fresh markets, creating a direct link between consumers and local producers.

Additionally, establishing food policy councils with diverse stakeholders can help integrate food waste reduction into city planning. In Ghent, Belgium, the city’s food policy council brings together 32 representatives from across the local food system, including civil society, agricultural organisations, and entrepreneurs. This collaborative effort led to the adoption of Ghent’s 2020-2025 Climate Plan, which focuses on transitioning towards sustainable food systems.

3. Create a local food environment that enables and support actors to make positive changes

Cities can create “food environments” that make sustainable choices easier, promoting food waste reduction by supporting local initiatives and ensuring food from low-waste systems is accessible in public institutions. This involves acting across multiple policy dimensions, including food composition, labelling, promotion, provision, retail, pricing, and trade.

For example, the Portuguese municipality of Almada supported the consumer cooperative Fruta Feia (Ugly Fruit), which connects producers with surplus vegetables and fruits—those that do not meet major retailers’ aesthetic standards—with consumers who can purchase food baskets at reduced costs. The municipality contributed by providing public spaces for managing the distribution, which now operates at 14 delivery points across Portugal. This initiative has connected 307 producers with 7,383 consumers, saving 3,336 tons of food from being wasted.

Collaboration among national governments, EU institutions, local authorities, food industries, and community initiatives is essential to reshaping food environments and promoting sustainable practices. Additionally, cities can leverage public procurement to ensure companies actively reduce food waste and participate in the redistribution or sharing of leftover food.

4. Educating and raising awareness with key stakeholders:

A major barrier to reducing food waste is the lack of public awareness about its scale and impact. Food waste often goes unnoticed as it occurs in disrupted supply chains, overproduction, and poor storage. At the household level, waste is driven by poor food management, confusion over expiration dates, and advertising that promotes overconsumption. Municipalities should lead efforts to raise awareness about the environmental, economic, cultural, and ethical impacts of food waste. This includes supporting civil society initiatives, encouraging best practices among producers and retailers, and incorporating food education in schools.

In Škofja Loka, Slovenia, a pilot project showed a 21% and 10% reduction in food waste in a kindergarten and a dormitory. In the kindergarten, measures included adjusting the distribution of tea and fruit and eliminating surplus in stews and soups. At the Škofja Loka Student Dormitory, where food waste primarily comes from plate leftovers, new strategies include using the E-assistant for better communication and raising awareness among students about meal cancellations and portion preferences.

5. Recycling food waste:

When food cannot be consumed, it can still be valuable through recycling processes like composting or anaerobic digestion, which return nutrients to the soil. Municipalities should improve local waste management systems to effectively collect and recycle bio-waste, especially since bio-waste collection is now mandatory in the EU.

For example, in 2017, the province of Pontevedra, facing low waste management results with only 9% recycling, launched the “Revitaliza” program to manage organic waste through decentralised composting. The program offers home-composting, community composting, and small composting plants based on local needs. By 2019, 44 of 61 municipalities had joined, composting over 2,000 tonnes of bio-waste locally.

In conclusion, municipalities are essential in developing circular economies and sustainable food systems. By adopting integrated approaches and holistic planning, cities can substantially reduce food waste and contribute to healthier, more resilient communities. Successful initiatives across Europe demonstrate that food waste prevention is possible and can deliver results across a range of contexts.