Activities of Tibor SZANYI related to 2016/2223(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Resource efficiency: reducing food waste, improving food safety (debate) HU
Amendments (42)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the European Court of Auditors' Special Report 'Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource- efficiency of the food supply chain' (2016),
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Stresses that food waste must be analyzed in a cross-cutting manner, as it affects several policies at the same time, including agriculture, fisheries, food safety, environment, social affairs and tax policy; insists therefore on the need to better harmonize the different policies and establish the reduction of food waste as a clear objective of existing policies;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of the different policies to tackle food waste such as agriculture, fisheries, food safety, environment or tax policy;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the European Court of Auditors' Special Report examined the question 'Does the EU contribute to a resource-efficient food supply chain by combating food waste effectively?'; whereas the findings of the report indicate that currently the EU does not combat food waste effectively, and that existing initiatives and policies could be used more effectively to address the problem of food waste1a ; _________________ 1aEuropean Court of Auditors’ Special Report ‘Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource-efficiency of the food supply chain’ (2016) p.44.
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas operators in the food supply chain often internalise the cost of food waste and include it in the final consumer price of the product1a ; _________________ 1aEuropean Court of Auditors’ Special Report ‘Combating Food Waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the resource-efficiency of the food supply chain’ (2016), p. 14.
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses the importance of bringing together farmers in cooperatives or professional associations in order to reduce food losses by strengthening their knowledge of markets, allowing more efficient programming, economies of scale and improving their capacity to market their production;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas there is no common consistent definition of ‘food waste’ nor a common methodology for measuring food waste at Union level yet, which makes it difficult to compare different datasets and to measure progress in reducing food waste; whereas in the FUSIONS project, food waste was defined as ‘any food, and inedible parts of food, removed from the food supply chain to be recovered or disposed (including composted, crops ploughed in/not harvested, anaerobic digestion, bio-energy production, co- generation, incineration, disposal to sewer, landfill or discarded to sea)’11 ; whereas for the purpose of this report, 'food waste' means food intended for human consumption, either in edible or inedible status, removed from the production or supply chain to be discarded including at primary production, processing, manufacturing, transportation, storage, retail and consumer levels; _________________ 11 FUSIONS Definitional Framework for Food Waste, 3 July 2014.
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes that food waste is a problem at every stage of the chain, whether it is production, processing, marketing, transport or consumption; insists therefore on the need to improve communication between all actors in the food supply chain, in particular between suppliers and distributors, in order to match supply and demand, the discrepancies of which are one of the main causes of food waste;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N b (new)
Recital N b (new)
Nb. whereas local and regional authorities have a key role to play in reducing food waste in the area of their competence; whereas actions to reduce food waste should be taken at the appropriate level;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that farmer-led initiatives can offer viable economic solutions and provide value for products which might otherwise go to waste, by developing markets for products that would normally be excluded from the food chain, and highlights the potential of farmer-led social innovation projects such as gleaning and donation of excess foodstuffs to food banks;
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes that the food industry has already taken initiatives to reduce food waste by strengthening cooperation with food banks throughout Europe; notes, however, that there are still barriers to donations, mainly of legal nature; calls on the Commission to clarify the interpretation of the legal provisions discouraging donations;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Stresses that, in the context of food aid, VAT on food donations is due, but Member States may consider that the value used for the calculation of VAT is low or close to zero if the donation is made close to the recommended date of consumption or if the foodstuffs are unsaleable; notes that in practice VAT on food aid is treated differently from one Member State to another; calls, therefore, on the Commission to clarify the rules on the application of the VAT Directive in the case of food aid;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for a coordinated policy response at EU and Member State level that takes into account policies regarding waste, food safety and information, but also aspects of economic, research and innovation, environment, financial, agriculture, education, and social, trade, consumer protection and public procurement policy;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Stresses that price volatility, extreme or unusual climate events and the prolongation of the Russian embargo are responsible for food waste in the agricultural sector; stresses the importance of building bridges between farmers and food banks to encourage the development of agricultural donations;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Calls for the restoration of an effective policy to regulate agricultural markets in order to better match supply to demand and thus reduce food waste;
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that some wastage at farm level is also due to the role played by retailers in relation to retailer standards regarding product specifications, cancelled orders owing to changes in consumer demand, and over-production as a result of requirements to meet seasonal demands.; stresses the need to revise marketing standards for quality and aesthetics for classifying agricultural products;
Amendment 143 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Highlights the findings of the Special Report No 34 of the European Court of Auditors "Combating food waste: an opportunity for the EU to improve the use of resources in the food chain"', stressing that Commission's action regarding food waste has so far been sporadic and fragmented;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to swiftly adopt a common definition and methodology to measure food waste;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to swiftly adopt a common methodology to measure food waste; calls on the Member States to support the collection of unused food for charities or to reuse these food articles for secondary purposes;
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Regrets that the implementation of the Member States' obligation to report on their food waste has been delayed by the Commission, as well as the Commission's deadline to adopt an implementing act laying down a common methodology for the evaluation of the food quantities.
Amendment 159 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Regrets the lack of a common definition of 'food waste' at the European level, despite repeated calls from the European Parliament, the Council, the Committee of the Regions and the G20; calls, therefore, on the Commission to reflect on the establishment of such a definition.
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Stresses that the agriculture sector has a key role to play in reducing food waste and notes with concern that the Commission has never conducted a study to determine the impact of the different reforms on the volume of agricultural production and its effect on food waste; calls, therefore, on the Commission to integrate the issue of food waste into the next review of the CAP;
Amendment 168 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Stresses the importance of the new "school schemes programmes" and in particular the introduction of compulsory accompanying measures, such as the promotion of conscious food consumption in education; stresses the importance of using these accompanying measures to convey educational messages about food waste and its prevention;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to engage, in cooperation with stakeholders, in improving consumers’ understanding of ‘use by’ dates and ‘best before’ dates; asks the Commission to assess whether current EU legislation and current practice in use with ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates in different Member States are fit for purpose; points out that the use of dual date labelling, for example 'sell by' and 'use by', on the same product can have a negative effect on consumers' food management decisions;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to engage, in cooperation with stakeholders, in improving consumers’ understanding of ‘use by’ dates and ‘best before’ dates and the usability of foodstuffs after the 'best before' date; asks the Commission to assess whether current EU legislation and current practice in use with ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates in different Member States are fit for purpose;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote consumer understanding of food waste, food safety, and good practices in relation to their management and consumption of food; stresses the importance of educational measures to achieve conscious food purchase and consumption;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to include food waste-related educational messages in the accompanying measures of the school fruit and milk schemes with the aim of encouraging good eating habits in young people;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to exchange and promote successful practices of food waste reduction and resource conservation methods already used by stakeholders; encourages Member States to consult the relevant stakeholders on targeted sectorial measures to be taken in the context of preventing food waste;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Points out that large quantities of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables do not reach the market due to aesthetic reasons and marketing standards; notes that there are successful initiatives that utilize such products and encourages stakeholders from the wholesale and retail sector to promote such practices; calls on the Commission to undertake research on the relation between marketing standards and food waste in this context;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to explore the modalities for donating food to charities from companies in the country of production, regardless of the language on the product packaging; points out that donations of said goods should be made possible when the information critical for maintaining food safety, e.g. on allergens, is made available to recipients in official languages of their Member States;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the Commission to consider the issue of food waste in future impact assessments of its policies;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Commission to undertake a study on the impact of reforms of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) on the generation and reduction of food waste;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Encourages Member States to use the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to reduce food waste in primary production and the processing sector;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Encourages Member States to use the full potential of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in order to reduce food waste in the context of fish discards and improve survival rates of aquaculture-grown organisms;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13e. Calls on the Commission and Member States to explore how unfair trade practices in the food supply chain generate food waste and, where necessary, take action at the appropriate level to reduce it;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)
Paragraph 13 f (new)
13f. Calls on the Commission to explore the potential of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) to help reduce food waste;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)
Paragraph 13 g (new)
13g. Calls on the Commission to complete the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) regulation with an implementing act that will regulate using intervention stocks generated under CAP and promote the use of FEAD to facilitate food donation in the context of financing the costs of collection, transport, storage and distribution; encourages local, regional and national authorities to support the setting up of food donation infrastructure in regions and areas where it is non- existent, inadequate or under capacitated;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to create economic incentives for donating food and limiting food waste;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that innovative and environmentally friendly solutions in areas including the management of co- and by- products of food production, food storage, digital technologies, and packaging can offer significant potential for food waste reduction; encourages public and private stakeholders to support research in these areas and promote sustainable and effective solutions;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recommends that, when appropriate, local and regional products and seasonal products be used in the catering and hospitality sector to shorten the production and consumption chain as to reduce the number of processing stages and thus the waste generated during the various phases;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Urges all institutions and bodies of the European Union to include the requirement of having food waste management and reduction plans in catering related tenders;