EU waste rules leave by-products in limbo, say food makers
legal status of by-products from food processing if they are to
improve efficiency and save resources, says a food industry body.
Representatives of Europe's food and drink industry met EU officials in Brussels to discuss ways of developing a legal framework for by-products.
Fixed rules on by-products would form a crucial part of the European Commission's proposed revision of the Waste Framework Directive, according to EU food and drink industry association, CIAA.
"Industry urgently needs long-term certainty for key investment decisions," said Joop Kleibeuker, secretary general of the European Dairy Association.
"Such long-term legal certainty cannot be provided by legally non-binding guidelines that can be changed from one year to the next," he said, speaking on behalf of the CIAA.
The uncertainty also threatens efficiency in the food and drink sector, according to industry representatives.
They said there was broad understanding with European Parliament and Commission members that different definitions of waste across EU member states had thrown up unnecessary barriers for food and drink makers.
This, it was agreed, can mean useful by-products wrongly classified as waste - potentially putting a strain on natural resources.
Cutting down on food waste appears to be an issue close to the European Commission's heart.
Current proposals for a new waste management system would promote the use of more environmentally friendly materials, in an attempt to scale down EU landfill mountains.
The plans, currently under consideration by the Parliament and Council of Ministers, would require national governments to establish a strict hierarchy of preference between reuse, recycling and other recovery options.
Food and drink packagers have warned that placing one waste management method over another could lead to soaring costs. Packagers could end up paying hundreds of thousands of euros each to justify keeping one particular type of packaging for individual brands, according to Europen, the EU packaging industry association.
