91% of Luxembourgers waste food regularly

The Minister of Agriculture urged citizens to plan better in order to reduce their personal household waste

Yesterday, the Luxembourgish government released research on the country’s food-wasting habits. According to the survey, 91% of residents throw away food regularly but, paradoxically, 84% believe that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed through awareness campaigns.

The study also pointed out that 69% threw away food at least every month, while 26% would waste certain types of food every week. Moreover, the products that were wasted most often, meaning at least once a month, were unfinished meals (42%), fruit (42%), bread (40%) and vegetables and dairy (27%).

Additionally, 75% of respondents were having trouble with the correct interpretation of best before dates, while by far, the biggest sources of food waste were private households. Households with children tend to throw away more food, which is due to a lack of time to pre-plan meals and because children have what the government calls “eyes larger than their stomachs” - an expression related to compulsive food purchasing.

Misjudgement rather than intent

According to a statement by Luxembourg’s Agriculture Minister, Claude Haagen, the tremendous amount of food waste was not due to household intentional behaviour. Instead, it is a result of incomplete information about transporting fresh produce from markets to the home.

He also pointed to misunderstandings with Best Before dates, incorrect storage and overestimating needs during promotional sales. He explained that with the study, authorities can now better understand the root cause of the problem and aim for future action.

Minister Haagen also pointed out that reducing food waste was a priority and urged citizens to look for ways to cut back on this through local action or by implementing a course-correction exercise in the household.