Spain: Spanish households’ food waste increased by 8.9% in 2018
Between January and December 2018, Spanish households wasted a total of 1.4 billion kilos/liters of food and beverages, 8.9% more than the previous year, i.e. 109 million kilos/litres more.
According to data from the Food Waste Quantification Panel of the Ministry of Agriculture, of the total volume of food discarded, 1.2 billion kilos/litrers corresponded to unused food and 212 million to cooked food (15.8% of total).
The total waste rate, i.e., the approximate ratio of discarded food to total purchased food, stood at 4.6%, 0.3% more than in 2017.
This increase in household food waste was mainly due to the upturn experienced during 2018 spring-summer (increase of 10.5%), characterized by high temperatures.
The Quantification Panel of the Ministry of Agriculture provides detailed information on the quantities of food wasted in Spanish households. It is an informative instrument to raise awareness about the responsible purchase of food and to promote a consumption adjusted to the food needs.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food