One of the main reasons we waste food is because we buy more than we need. The logic of ‘let’s take what I have’ prevails and we end up overloading the supermarket basket with quantities of food that we don’t have time to consume. AB invites consumers to learn a new habit. Before putting anything in their basket, they should think about whether they will actually consume the food they are going to buy in time. #PausiGiaKalo! So we will all continue our efforts together to reduce food waste so that the environment and your wallet win.
Costs and environment
According to ELSTAT 1, the majority of Greek household expenditure concerns food items. Every portion of food that goes to waste places an unnecessary burden on household finances. According to preliminary estimates from WWF Greece, the waste costs for a family of four are at least 650 euros per year, excluding the costs of water and electricity for preparing meals.
Every gram of food that ends up in the trash means precious natural resources are wasted. It also means that significant amounts of greenhouse gases are released without countermeasures being taken. For example, if we throw away 1 kg of beef, it is as if we are also throwing away 15,500 liters of water needed to produce it, releasing 30.4 kg of carbon dioxide for no reason. Only for 1 kilo of meat!
Waste in numbers
At the end of 2022, the European Commission published for the first time an estimate of food waste in all EU member states. With an average weight of 87 kilograms per capita, Greece is the fourth worst country in the EU. Only Portugal, Italy and Luxembourg surpass us. In contrast, Spanish households throw away only 30 kg of food per inhabitant! Data for Greece at household and retail level comes from AB’s 18-month survey with Harokopio University, throughout the supply chain. At the same time, there is a need for information and awareness among Greek consumers. The percentage of Greek consumers who would throw away a food product after its expiry date is twice the EU average.
Waste is a problem that will bring social benefits in addition to environmental benefits. For example, better waste management and increased food donations will benefit those in need. And the needs are great, as 1.4 million of our fellow human beings in Greece, i.e. 12.9% of the population, face food insecurity.
Commitment AB
At AB Vassilopoulos we care for the environment, for ourselves and for future generations. And to achieve this goal, we do everything we can to adopt a ‘green’ attitude and help protect
environment. And for this reason, at AB we are leading an effort, in partnership with WWF Greece, to reduce food waste across the supply chain. In this context, we made a major commitment to the environment in September 2019. We aim to reduce our footprint by 50% until 2025. To achieve the reduction of food waste, we launched targeted actions and initiatives.
1. We are continuing and increasing short-term food donations through the Food of Love program.
2. Together with the Borome organization, we founded the first Alliance for Reducing Food Waste in Greece.
3. Together with Harokopion University, we spent 18 months researching food waste across our entire supply chain, from our suppliers and customers to our own processes. Household and retail survey data were used by the Ministry of Environment and Energy as the baseline for food waste in our country.
4. Together with WWF Greece, we are leading an initiative aimed at information and awareness actions in all its stages
our supply chain. We are committed to reducing our own ecological footprint, for a better future for us and future generations. Through our actions to reduce waste, we and our country are helping to reduce the problem that plagues the world on a global level.
Reducing food waste is good for our fellow man, good for the environment. So take a break for good.