25,000 tons of food saved in front of the trash. So many sellers gave the benefit organizations

In 2024, sellers gave 162 public benefit organizations just over 25,000. tons of unused food – GIOŚ spokesman Tomasz Matusiak said on Tuesday. He added that almost all this food went to the needy, 13 tons were wasted.

According to the data of the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection cited by Matusiak, in 2024 public benefit organizations (OPP) received 25,000. 45 tons of food. 25,000 were sent to the needy. 32 tons.

GIOŚ pointed out that the amount of food has been falling for two years, which goes to OPP every year. He reminded that in 2022 these organizations received 53,734 thousand. tons of food, in 2023 – 26.073 thousand tone. Last year's quantity is also lower than that of 2021, when 31.759 thousand were transferred to OPP. tone. He explained, however, the number of public benefit organizations that receive food from sellers is growing. In 2020 there were 115, a year later – 137, in 2022 – 150, and 2023 – 157. According to GIOŚ, the falling amount of food transmitted to organizations indicates an increasingly rational logistics from sellers, including ordering the appropriate amount of goods.

In turn, the data of the inspectorate provided by the Provincial Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management shows that in the years 2020-2023, the total mass of wasted food by entrepreneurs run stores with an area of ​​over 250 sq m, in which revenue from the sale of food is at least 50 percent. (i.e. covered by the Act on counteracting food waste), amounted to 228.7 thousand. tone. In 2023, this quantity fell compared to 2022 from 64,107 thousand. up to 59,364 thousand tone. Earlier in 2021, the mass of food was wasted by such sellers amounted to 54,225 thousand. tons, in 2020 – 50.963 thousand tone.

“Despite better food management at the level of sellers and public benefit organizations, about 5 billion kg (5 million tons) of food is still wasted in Poland every year. If you want to load all this wasted food for popular trucks on our roads, we would need over 200,000 trucks. Wypotaled in commercial facilities (all operating on the market, not only those covered by the Act on counteracting food waste), about 60 percent.

The inspectorate also encouraged not to waste, but share unused food, e.g. in eaters or transfer it to public benefit organizations.

The government plans to increase the penalties for wasting food and introduce a new definition of this phenomenon – in the draft amendment to the Act on counteracting food, changes have been made to the definition of food waste, so that it clearly shows that until food becomes waste, actions should be taken to counteract the waste. The scope of penalties for wasting is to increase from a range of 500 – 10 thousand. PLN up to 5 thousand – 15,000 zloty. The amendment also introduced a penalty of 5,000. PLN for not conducting educational and information campaign.

GIOŚ runs, among others monitoring and assessment of the state of the natural environment in Poland and the control of business entities using it; It provides information on the state of the environment to public administration bodies and society. (PAP)

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