EU wastes 153m tonnes of food a year – much more than it imports, says report

Wheat wasted in the EU is roughly half the amount exported by Ukraine. Photograph: Stéphane Mahé/Reuters

The EU wastes more food than it imports and could puncture food price inflation by simply curbing on-farm waste, according to a report.

About 153m tonnes of food in the EU are frittered away every year, double previous estimates and 15m tonnes more than is shipped in, according to the study’s estimates.