If you’ve ever noticed a buffet at the end of a wedding or watched trays of perfectly good food go into the bin at closing time, you’ve seen it: food waste is everywhere. It’s hidden in restaurant kitchens, in delivery packages, on supermarket shelves, and even our own fridges. Every year, the EU throws away around 59 million tonnes of food: enough to fill thousands of football stadiums. Cyprus holds the first place in the EU, with an estimated 294 kg of food discarded per person each year, according to the latest Eurostat data.
That’s food that used energy, water, and labour to produce… only to end up as rubbish.
On 26 September 2025, the EU said “enough.” The European Parliament adopted a new Waste Framework Directive (EU 2025/1892) that turns food waste reduction from a nice-to-have into a legal requirement. For the first time, there are binding targets for EU member states to cut food waste across the entire supply chain. And we can’t skip them.
What’s Actually Changing?
By 2027 every EU country must have a national food waste prevention programme, and a coordinating authority to run it.
By 2030 binding reduction targets kick in:
- 10% less food waste from production and processing.
- 30% less food waste per person in retail, distribution, catering, food services and households.
To reach these numbers, countries will need to introduce new measures that directly affect how businesses handle food. Expect more systematic reporting, clearer targets, efficient systems to redirect unsold food (like donation schemes), and even innovation in packaging and shelf-life indicators.
We can’t keep doing business as usual. The old “take-make-waste” model is over.
Why It Matters for Businesses:
The new EU rules will bring stricter expectations, but they also create a chance to stand out.
Imagine:
– A hotel that shows guests how it donates surplus bread to local charities.
– A restaurant that redesigns its menu to cut plate waste.
– A bakery that uses a digital platform to match unsold goods with community organisations. These aren’t just feel-good stories, they’re the business models of the future. In a few years, we could have customers choosing restaurants or hotels not just for their menu, but for their commitment to reducing waste.
Three Simple Moves to Get Ahead
Here are three actions that any business can start tomorrow:
- Measure Before You Manage: Track what gets thrown away: how much, what type, and when. You’ll be surprised at the patterns you find.
- Donate, Don’t Dump: Build donation into your daily operations. It’s not charity; it’s smart resource management. Unsold food becomes goodwill instead of landfill.
- Innovate Around Packaging and Portions: Smaller portions, flexible menus, smarter packaging, shelf-life tracking – all these cut waste and costs.
FoodConnect: Making Donation Easy
We have been working on a food donation platform for quite some time, gathering data, writing our baseline research, checking legislation and business models, to create a model that will work in Cyprus, Malta, and Portugal. And now, we are ready to launch it. FoodConnect is a platform that lets businesses register their surplus food safely and quickly, and connects them to organisations that can use it.
It’s time to move past the old fear of “who’s responsible” when a business donates food. In Cyprus, even the Health Services actively support food donation and to make it easier; they’ve clarified that the same rules that already apply to takeaway food also apply to donated food. In other words, you’re not taking on new risks, you’re simply one step ahead.
We’re now looking for businesses in Cyprus to join as early adopters. Whether you’re a café, a hotel, a bakery or a caterer, we’ll support you every step of the way. To help you get started, we offer:
- Starter Packs – could be boxes/containers for the first donations, stickers and labels to track items, and a social media kit so you can show your customers you’re part of the solution.
- Training & Support – personalised guidance to integrate FoodConnect into your daily routine.
- Pilot period – to practice the system and figure out the practicalities
Contact us to start your journey with FoodConnect: [email protected]
The bigger picture
The EU’s new directive shows that food waste is no longer a side issue, it’s central to climate action, resource efficiency and social solidarity. But change won’t come from policy papers alone. We need apps that make donating as easy as ordering takeout, cities that reward sharing instead of wasting, and a mindset that sees food as care, not just consumption. That’s the real recipe for change.
Also read: Cyprus leads EU in food waste per capita
