According to the data collected in the Panel of quantification of food waste in households, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spanish households wasted between January and December 2018 a total of 1,339 million kg / l. of food and beverages, which represents an increase of 8.9% over the previous year, that is, 109 million kg / l more.
The total waste rate, that is, the approximate proportion between discarded food and total food purchased, stands at 4.6%, representing an increase of 0.3% compared to 2017.
The increase in food waste in households has been mainly due to the recovery experienced during the spring-summer of 2018 (10.5% increase), characterized by high temperatures.
Of the total volume of discarded food, 1.127 million kg / l. correspond to unused products and 212 million to cooked foods (recipes). The part of recipes only represents 15.8% of the volume of waste.
Among the unused products that are most wasted are fruits and vegetables and vegetables, with 46% of the volume of unused products, followed by dairy products (13%). On the contrary, there have been decreases in waste in the case of bread (5%) and fish (2.3%).
As for cooked foods, dishes based on legumes, soups, creams and purées, and meat-based and rice-based dishes are the recipes that end up in the garbage can. The most significant waste in this section are lentils, green salad and potato omelette.
Likewise, 8 out of 10 households recognize throwing food and beverages in the trash. In this area, 81.5% of households throw products as they bought them, without having undergone any type of processing. Those who waste unused products are mainly family homes up to 49 years old, with children under 6 years old or couples without children.
By geographical areas, Andalusia is the region with the highest volume of products without wasting, followed by Levante, the metropolitan area of Madrid, the peninsular northeast (Catalonia and Aragón), the northwest and central peninsula and metropolitan Barcelona.
Andalusia is also the region with the greatest volume of processed food wasted, after which the metropolitan area of Madrid, northwestern Spain, Levante, north-central, northeastern peninsular and metropolitan Barcelona is located.
The MAPA quantification panel provides detailed information on the quantities of food wasted in Spanish households. It is an informative instrument to raise awareness about the responsible purchase of food and promote consumption adjusted to food needs. Food waste is an international concern. Reduce it is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN.