10th Food Waste Prevention Day – “Italy 2023: A Case Study”

The 5th of February is Italy’s National Food Waste Prevention Day. The associated event was held in Rome on Thursday, 2 February 2023 in the headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Italy. It included the presentation of a new report by the Waste Watcher International Observatory with data from “Italy 2023: A Case Study”, an investigation promoted by the Spreco Zero (Zero Waste) campaign in collaboration with the University of Bologna and IPSOS.
These data show a decrease in Italian domestic waste (27,253 kg of food annually): -12% from last year, partially in response to sudden inflation. Fruit, bread, salad greens, vegetables, garlic and onions were the foods most likely to be binned in Italy. Central themes for food sustainability are attention to the quality of what we bring to the table and willingness to cut costs. Despite rising consumer prices, food expenses are those that fell the least (18%), representing the third-highest expense after medical (11%) and personal (17%) care. For 6 out of 10 Italians, purchases were determined not by frugality (7%) but pragmatism, followed by quality for the remaining 32%.