António Ventura marks International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, marks International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, celebrated today, as a moment to "move from commitment to action" in a strategy aligned with the National Government.

“Everyone plays a crucial role in change, through conscious choices and practices every day. When reducing food waste at home, we are also reducing our personal climate impact. When promoting awareness, we are moving towards reducing food waste and a more sustainable future,” pointed out the government official. 

In 2023, 1.9 million tonnes of food were wasted in Portugal, equivalent to 182.7 kg per inhabitant. Most of this waste is generated by domestic consumption (66.8%), followed by retail (12%), catering (11.5%), primary production (6.8%) and industry (2.9%).

With a view to responding to this challenge, the National Government launched the National Strategy to Combat Food Waste 2025+ under the slogan "Act against food waste."

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in this Strategy by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food, through IAMA - Institute for Food and Agricultural Markets, IPRA, ensuring a more direct, efficient and transformative action.

Portugal is aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, which have set a target of reducing food waste per capita by 50% by 2030, following the binding European Union targets.

"Combating food waste is a collective responsibility," emphasised the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food.

He added: "There are countless global efforts to reduce food loss and waste, stressing the importance of reducing food losses throughout the production and supply chains, namely through awareness campaigns, conferences, sessions, seminars and the promotion of sustainable practices."