With more than a fifth of groceries ending up in the bin, the government has appointed a group of people to recommend ways to reduce the wastage of food.

Twenty-two per cent of the food purchased weekly in Malta is thrown away, according to figures from the National Statistics Office last year.

The working group, made up of representatives of the hospitality and catering businesses, supermarkets, local councils and waste management, will come up with “practical recommendations” to reduce food waste.

This would benefit the country environmentally and its people economically, Environment Minister Leo Brincat said yesterday as he launched the group.

Twenty-two per cent of food purchased weekly in Malta is thrown away

Expired food would not be dumped on the poor but there were food chains abroad that had found feasible ways of using food that had nearly expired, he said.

He added that this was not a problem unique to Malta. In the UK, food waste is estimated to cost £5 billion per year.

One of the main challenges was reducing the generation of waste, instead of dealing with the surplus, he said.

This was not a political or controversial issue, he added, but the group should enjoy support from all local stakeholders.

Chaired by Lisa Cassar Shaw, the group is made of 14 representatives from a number of organisations that include the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, Wasteserv, and Kummisjoni Ambjent tal-Knisja. Supermarket owner Raymond Mintoff and restaurateur Mona Farrugia and Anthony Gatt from the Health Ministry are also members. An Opposition representative has also been asked to join.

Anton Dougall, of Astoria Catering, said one of the biggest sources of waste was households.

For the past four decades he has been calling on housewives and “men who enjoy cooking (dilettanti)” to plan their meals and draw up shopping lists.

Scotland and Ireland have already launched educational campaigns on food waste and tips can be found at www.greenerscotland.org and www.stopfoodwaste.ie.

How can I stop food waste?

• Know your food waste and become aware of how much you throw away.
• Plan your weekly meals.
• Check what you have in your cupboards.
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach.
• Store the food in the right place.