PROGRAMME

Regarding primary production, the Commission Delegated Decision EU (2019) 1597 outlines certain methodologies to effectively assess and report food waste (FW). The first pan-European monitoring of FW levels indicated that in 2020, primary production accounted for approximately 11% of the total FW generated in EU. Notably, there is no data on food loss (FL), as the European Commission has yet to define an official methodological framework for estimating and reporting such losses. Measuring FW in the primary sector, faces numerous challenges due to the sector’s inherent characteristics (diverse range of produce, the nature of farms, the cultivation practices etc.). Additionally, very few farmers measure and/or maintain records of food losses and waste (FLW). Nevertheless, nearly all farmers, regardless of farm size, possess a strong understanding of where food is lost during the production process, along with a rough estimate of the relative quantities lost. This study investigates both the focal points and causes of FLW in the primary production sector (according the EU definitions of FLW), in Greece. It is part of a wider ongoing study centred around the quantification of FLW in the country. This research is carried out within the EU LIFE-IP CEI-GR project. The study employed a combination of questionnaires, and interviews to gather data (244 questionnaires were collected, 11 participants were interviewed). Producers were requested to provide data pertaining to their primary products, estimations of FLW, the edibility of the food wasted, and their disposal methods. The analysis of the results, shows that FL are closely linked to factors such as: the cultivation methods; the timing of cultivation and harvests within a growing cycle; and the specific plant species. The susceptibility of the products and the associated FLW, varies significantly based on both the chosen cultivation technique and the species cultivated or even the specific plant variety. To better illustrate the width of variation, according to the producer statements, greenhouse tomato cultivation results in a mere 0.1% of FL and waste, of which 5% is salvageable for consumption. Conversely, field-based tomato cultivation results in 5% FL and waste, with 50% of it being suitable for human consumption. The main commercial agreements and practices between producers and traders are structured in such way that the trader receives the products, conducts the sorting (in lieu of the producer) and quality assessment, and does not compensate the producer for the quantity he found unsuitable for marketing. Consequently, the waste stemming from harvested products is not primarily recorded during the production phase, but rather at the marketing stage. Acknowledgements: This work was partly co-funded by the European Commission through the LIFE+ Funding programme, LIFE-IP CEI-GR, LIFE18 IPE/GR/000013.