The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Week dedicated to tackling food waste in Switzerland

A week dedicated to tackling food waste in Switzerland
A week dedicated to tackling food waste in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

In Switzerland, around 80 kilograms of food per person is thrown away every year. To raise public awareness and encourage people to take action, businesses, NGOs and public authorities are organising the first National Week Against Food Waste from September 12-20.

Food waste is one of the environmental challenges that everyone can take immediate action on, the partner organisations emphasised on Monday. According to them, much of the problem could be avoided through small changes in everyday life, for example when shopping, storing and preparing meals.

More
A lot of food goes to waste in Swiss households.

More

Climate adaptation

Why the Swiss waste more food than they think 

This content was published on Despite years of awareness campaigns and a national project to reduce waste, large amounts of edible food go directly from Swiss kitchens to the trash.

Read more: Why the Swiss waste more food than they think 

If Swiss households were to avoid throwing food away for just one week, they could save around 30 million meals, according to the organisers. They also highlight the environmental cost of the issue: food waste accounts for a quarter of the environmental footprint of our diet – half that of all private motorised transport in Switzerland.

Switzerland has committed to halving food waste by 2030, “an ambitious target”, as the organisers acknowledge. However, many people are ready to change their behaviour, they say; all that is lacking is practical information or actionable tips that can be applied in everyday life.

How we produce English news
Translated from Italian, reviewed by an 
English Department journalist. 

Related Stories

Popular Stories

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR