From: VIMOSZ
In recent years, we have been hearing more and more about food waste as a global issue. At both the global and European levels, numerous initiatives aim to raise awareness of its importance in society and to highlight the need for action. From these many initiatives, we have picked a few that, across countries, are working to reduce food waste and contribute to more sustainable food systems.
The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction is an annual UN observance held on 29 September. It aims to raise global awareness of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of food loss and waste. In practice, it is marked worldwide through awareness campaigns, policy dialogues, educational initiatives, and stakeholder events involving governments, international organisations, businesses, and civil society, all encouraging action towards more sustainable food systems and supporting the achievement of SDG 12.3.
World Food Day (16 October) is another key global observance led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which originally focused on food security and the fight against hunger, but now increasingly also highlights the importance of reducing food waste. In practice, it is implemented through FAO-coordinated global and national events, thematic campaigns, school and community programmes, and policy discussions, each year organised around a specific theme to mobilise awareness and action worldwide.
The “Stop Food Waste Day” initiative is a global day of action aimed at reducing food waste. It was launched by Compass Group USA in 2017 and has since grown into a widely recognised movement across more than 25 countries, engaging restaurants, chefs, civil society organisations, suppliers, and hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the value of food and the importance of reducing waste, and over time it has evolved beyond a single awareness day into a broader effort that also supports long-term behavioural change.
Similarly, in the field of reducing food waste, WRAP is active through its “Everything to Gain – Nothing to Waste” initiative, which is an international, awareness-raising and collaboration-based programme aimed at changing the attitudes of governments, businesses, and consumers towards food waste. The initiative highlights that food waste accounts for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that reducing it can make a significant contribution to climate goals, while also delivering economic benefits such as cost savings and improved efficiency for businesses, as well as savings for households. Rather than being a standalone project, it functions as a global coordination and acceleration framework built on WRAP’s existing Food Pact Network, focusing on strengthening international cooperation, supporting knowledge sharing, and developing thematic working groups in areas such as data, hospitality, behavioural change, and technology, while also actively engaging businesses in food waste reduction. It further places strong emphasis on measuring and tracking results—including CO₂ savings and food waste reductions—and in the longer term aims to strengthen financing, scale successful approaches internationally, and drive systemic change across the entire food supply chain.
The European Food Waste Reduction Week is an annual, multi-country initiative that raises awareness of food waste and broader waste reduction across Europe. During the week, organisations, municipalities, schools, companies, and civil society actors run campaigns, educational activities, events, and local initiatives to promote more conscious consumption and the prevention of food waste. The initiative aims to showcase practical solutions for reducing waste and to support the development of more sustainable consumption habits across Europe in the long term.
Alongside these, it is also worth mentioning the Champions 12.3 initiative, a global coalition of business leaders, government representatives, and civil society organisations. Its aim is to accelerate progress towards SDG target 12.3 – halving global food loss and waste by 2030 – which it supports in practice by promoting corporate and governmental commitments, sharing best practices, and advancing measurement and monitoring systems, such as improved data collection and analysis on food waste across countries and sectors.
Overall, there are many valuable initiatives in place; however, in order to effectively reduce this global problem, it is essential that we also take individual responsibility and actively contribute to reducing food waste in our everyday lives.