Activities of Elena GENTILE related to 2016/2223(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Resource efficiency: reducing food waste, improving food safety (debate) IT
Amendments (49)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the European Court of Auditors' Special Report 'Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource- efficiency of the food supply chain' (2016),
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the Charter of Milan adopted during the Expo Milano 2015,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the FAO estimates that each year, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food, equal to approximately one-third, by weight, of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted7; _________________ 7FAO, 2011. Global Food Losses and Food Waste.;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereasin view of the undertakings signed by the EU in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015, and in particular since the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 is aimed at halvingreducing by 50 % per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 20350 and reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas estimates show that 88 million tonnes of food are wasted in the EU each year, equating to 173 kg of wasted food per personthe prevention of food waste brings environmental benefits and advantages in social and economic terms; whereas estimates indicate that 88 million tonnes of food are wasted in the EU each year, equating to 173 kg of wasted food per person, and that the production and disposal of the EU’s food waste produce emissions of 170 tonnes of CO2 and consume 26 million tonnes of resources; whereas the costs associated with this level of food waste are estimated to amount to around EUR 143 billion9; _________________ 9 FUSIONS, Estimates of European food waste levels, March 2016.
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the European Court of Auditors' Special Report examined the question 'Does the EU contribute to a resource-efficient food supply chain by combating food waste effectively?'; whereas the findings of the report indicate that currently the EU does not combat food waste effectively, and that existing initiatives and policies could be used more effectively to address the problem of food waste1a ; _________________ 1aEuropean Court of Auditors’ Special Report ‘Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource-efficiency of the food supply chain’ (2016) p.44.
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas operators in the food supply chain often internalise the cost of food waste and include it in the final consumer price of the product1a ; _________________ 1aEuropean Court of Auditors’ Special Report ‘Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource-efficiency of the food supply chain’ (2016), p. 14.
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas there is no common consistent definition of ‘food waste’ nor a common methodology for measuring food waste at Union level yet, which makes it difficult to compare different datasets and to measure progress in reducing food waste; whereas in the FUSIONS project, food waste was defined as ‘any food, and inedible parts of food, removed from the food supply chain to be recovered or disposed (including composted, crops ploughed in/not harvested, anaerobic digestion, bio-energy production, co- generation, incineration, disposal to sewer, landfill or discarded to sea)’11 ; whereas for the purpose of this report, 'food waste' means food intended for human consumption, either in edible or inedible status, removed from the production or supply chain to be discarded including at primary production, processing, manufacturing, transportation, storage, retail and consumer levels; _________________ 11 FUSIONS Definitional Framework for Food Waste, 3 July 2014.
Amendment 64 #
Fa. whereas food surpluses may be recovered for use as food for humans with the appropriate incentivising policies;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas monitoring not only of how much is wasted but also of how large surpluses are and the quantities of food recovered can provide a more complete picture, which could be useful in launching good policies at EU level;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the waste management hierarchy established by the Waste Framework Directive 12 (prevention, preparing for re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal) cannot be applied in full todoes not take account of the specific features of food waste; whereas currently there is no specific hierarchy for the management of unconsumed foodprevention and management of food waste at EU level; _________________ 12 Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives (OJ L 312, 22.11.2008, p. 3).
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the donation of unsold food along the entire supply chaina very low level of food surpluses is a psychological factor in the entire agri-food sector, and donating these surpluses leads to considerable reductions in food waste, while helping people in need;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas countries such as Italy haveand France have already adopted national legislation to restrict the creation of food waste, with Italy, specifically, having adopted legislation that facilitates food donation and distribution for social solidarity purposes by excluding donor liability for food that is donated in good faith and known to be fit for consumption at the time of donation;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N b (new)
Recital N b (new)
Nb. whereas local and regional authorities have a key role to play in reducing food waste in the area of their competence; whereas actions to reduce food waste should be taken at the appropriate level;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to swiftly adopt a definition of food surpluses and food recovery;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for a coordinated policy response at EU and Member State level that takes into account policies regarding waste, food safety and information, but also aspects of economic, research and innovation, environment, financial, agriculture, education, and social, trade, consumer protection and public procurement policy;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to swiftly adopt a common definition and methodology to measure food waste;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to swiftly adopt a common methodology to measure, including minimum quality requirements, for the uniform measurement of the levels of food waste;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the establishment in EU legislation of a hierarchy for the management of unsold food such as: a) source prevention; b) edible food rescue, prioritizing human use over animal feed and the reprocessing into non-food products; c) organic recycling; d) energy recovery; e) disposal;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the need to include an obligation for the Member States to annually notify the European Commission of the total level of food waste generated in a specific year;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the recent creation of the EU Platform on Food Lwhich is intended to identify priority measures to be adopted at EU level to prevent food losses and Ffood Wwaste; to that end, stresses that greater involvement of the European Parliament in the platform’s work would be desirable;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the recent creation of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste; considers that it could be the right tool for measuring not only how much is wasted but also the quantities of food surpluses and food recovery;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to engage, in cooperation with stakeholders, in improving consumers’ understanding of ‘use by’ dates and ‘best before’ dates; asks the Commission to assess whether current EU legislation and current practice in use with ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates in different Member States are fit for purpose; points out that the use of dual date labelling, for example 'sell by' and 'use by', on the same product can have a negative effect on consumers' food management decisions;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to engage, in cooperation with stakeholders, in improving consumers’ understanding of ‘use by’ dates and ‘best before’ dates and the usability of foodstuffs after the 'best before' date; asks the Commission to assess whether current EU legislation and current practice in use with ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates in different Member States are fit for purpose;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the initiative taken by some large retail operators to promote schemes for making changes to prices for the sale of goods to be consumed in line with the products’ expiry dates, with a view to increasing consumer awareness and encouraging the purchase of products which are close to their expiry dates;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote consumer understanding of food waste, food safety, and good practices in relation to their management and consumption of food; stresses that these initiatives should emphasise that combating food waste brings benefits not only for the environment but also in economic and social terms;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the need for Member States to develop and support publicity campaigns to raise the awareness of citizens and operators in the food sector with a view to encouraging the prevention of food waste; also stresses the need to promote training campaigns intended to provide education on healthy food and environmentally sustainable food production;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to include food waste-related educational messages in the accompanying measures of the school fruit and milk schemes with the aim of encouraging good eating habits in young people;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to exchange and promote successful practices of food waste reduction and resource conservation methods already used by stakeholders; encourages Member States to consult the relevant stakeholders on targeted sectorial measures to be taken in the context of preventing food waste;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Points out that large quantities of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables do not reach the market due to aesthetic reasons and marketing standards; notes that there are successful initiatives that utilize such products and encourages stakeholders from the wholesale and retail sector to promote such practices; calls on the Commission to undertake research on the relation between marketing standards and food waste in this context;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to explore the modalities for donating food to charities from companies in the country of production, regardless of the language on the product packaging; points out that donations of said goods should be made possible when the information critical for maintaining food safety, e.g. on allergens, is made available to recipients in official languages of their Member States;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes that food sector operators which carry out free transfers of food surpluses must abide by sound operational practices in order to guarantee food safety in terms of hygiene and health, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the Member States to consider further schemes to encourage donation by food sector operators of food surpluses to organisations with social purposes and non-profit organisations, including through tax incentives relating to national taxation of waste;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the Commission to consider the issue of food waste in future impact assessments of its policies;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Commission to undertake a study on the impact of reforms of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) on the generation and reduction of food waste;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Encourages Member States to use the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to reduce food waste in primary production and the processing sector;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Encourages Member States to use the full potential of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in order to reduce food waste in the context of fish discards and improve survival rates of aquaculture-grown organisms;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13e. Calls on the Commission and Member States to explore how unfair trade practices in the food supply chain generate food waste and, where necessary, take action at the appropriate level to reduce it;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)
Paragraph 13 g (new)
13g. Calls on the Commission to complete the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) regulation with an implementing act that will regulate using intervention stocks generated under CAP and promote the use of FEAD to facilitate food donation in the context of financing the costs of collection, transport, storage and distribution; encourages local, regional and national authorities to support the setting up of food donation infrastructure in regions and areas where it is non- existent, inadequate or under capacitated;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to create economic incentives for limiting food waste and to adopt specific food waste prevention programmes within their waste prevention programmes;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to create economic incentives for donating food and limiting food waste;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that innovative and environmentally friendly solutions in areas including the management of co- and by- products of food production, food storage, digital technologies, and packaging can offer significant potential for food waste reduction; encourages public and private stakeholders to support research in these areas and promote sustainable and effective solutions;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Member States to encourage the conclusion of agreements or memoranda of understanding to promote responsible conduct and good practices designed to reduce food waste, including equipping catering operators with reusable containers, made of recyclable material, to enable customers to take home their leftover food;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recommends that, when appropriate, local and regional products and seasonal products be used in the catering and hospitality sector to shorten the production and consumption chain as to reduce the number of processing stages and thus the waste generated during the various phases;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Urges all institutions and bodies of the European Union to include the requirement of having food waste management and reduction plans in catering related tenders;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Stresses that more effective European legislation on by-products in Directive 2008/98/EC could help to significantly reduce food waste; to that end, calls on the European Commission to support, particularly through the Horizon 2020 programme, projects designed to facilitate synergies between agriculture and industry that involve agri-food companies;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 e (new)
Paragraph 15 e (new)
15e. Notes that preventing the generation of food waste is the priority measure to be pursued, when correctly managing waste in line with the principles of the circular economy; stresses, however, that at the moment it is impossible to bring generation of food waste down to zero; considers that it is necessary, therefore, to lay down mandatory EU measures to ensure that food waste can be turned into new resources; considers, specifically, that, with a view to ensuring a high level of environmental protection and an output, including digestate and compost, with high quality standards, the Member States should encourage home composting and should separate out bio-waste at source, and ensure that this waste is subject to bio-recycling; considers that the Member States should also prohibit the placing of bio-waste in landfills;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 f (new)
Paragraph 15 f (new)
15f. Stresses that food waste reduction objectives must be consistent with the measures and objectives in Directive 94/62/EC and, in particular, the need for the Member States to take measures to achieve a significant reduction in the consumption of non-recyclable packaging and in overpackaging;