Moldovans discard nearly 180,000 tons of food annually, equivalent to 3,000 freight cars, according to a study conducted by IDIS Viitorul. This amount could feed over one million people living below the absolute poverty line, IPN reports.
Last year, food waste in Moldova was estimated at 71 kg per person, and this year it is expected to decrease slightly to 70 kg. However, only 0.15% of wasted food is recovered through initiatives like the Food Bank.
Rising prices and the paradox of waste
Over the past five years, food prices have risen by 76.5%, marking the largest increase in two decades. Despite this, Moldovans continue to allocate nearly 40% of household budgets to food, a proportion surpassed in Europe only by Ukraine.
Families in rural areas spend a higher share of their income on food compared to urban households. The poorest rural households allocate 56.1% of their income to food, while the wealthiest urban households spend only 27.9%.
Economic impact
The total value of food lost in 2024 is estimated at 20.5 billion lei, with 7 billion lei representing food purchased and later discarded by consumers. Expert Veaceslav Ioniță emphasized the need to combat food waste to improve economic efficiency and reduce poverty. "We waste 5% of our money on food we throw away - more than we spend on health, education, or recreation," the economist concluded.
Consumers are the largest contributors to food waste, accounting for approximately 40% of the total. Producers follow with 25%, food processing companies with 20%, and retailers with 15%.
In Moldova, families spend almost 40% of their income on food and non-alcoholic beverages but consume only 35%, with the rest being wasted. In comparison, less is spent on other essential needs, such as health (4.4%), recreation, or education. Essentially, 5% of household budgets are literally thrown away along with discarded food.
Surpassed by Switzerland and Portugal
Although Moldova's food waste is below the global average (71 kg/person/year), developed countries like Portugal and Switzerland report significantly higher levels, at 124 kg and 119 kg/person/year, respectively.
Globally, North America and Europe lead in food waste, with losses reaching up to 300 kg per person annually. By contrast, South and Southeast Asia record the lowest losses, at just 120-140 kg per person annually.
The value of wasted food has been growing at an alarming rate. In 2015, losses amounted to 11 billion lei, with nearly 4 billion lei representing food bought and discarded by consumers. Last year, this figure rose to 20.5 billion lei, and this year it is expected to exceed 22 billion lei, of which 7.6 billion lei will be money spent on food that never gets consumed.
