Germany – from the fridge to the bin: Berliners throw away 20% of uneaten food

Every day several tonnes of food are thrown into the bins of Berlin even though it is still perfectly edible, reports Berliner Zeitung. Sabine Werth, director of the ‘‘Berliner Tafel‘‘ association, estimates that around 20% of all foodstuffs are simply thrown away- a figure, which supported by BSR, who are responsible for street cleaning in Berlin.



According to Werth, businesses are as guilty as householders when it comes to such behaviour. Many items such as fruit and vegetables will be thrown out because they don‘‘t have the right colour or weight, or simply because they were over-ordered and can‘‘t be sold quickly enough.



For the last twelve years, Berliner Tafel has been receiving donation of food from businesses who have either produced too much or have been unable to sell it. According to Werth, it amounts to 3,5 tonnes daily. The food is passed on to 370 social organisations including soup kitchens and calefactories, where it is used to feed 15,000 needy Berliners, a quarter of whom are children and teenagers.