Moldovans spend on food that they later throw away more than on health, entertainment and education. In Moldova, food loss and waste in 2023 amounted to 19.2 billion lei, of which about 12 billion lei was only food waste, said Veaceslav Ioniță, economic expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul”. According to him, the Moldovans are wasteful, but not the most wasteful in Europe, IPN reports.
“5.2% of all our monthly expenses go on food that ends up in the trashcan. Is that a lot or not much? Let’s see. In 2023, we spent 41.1% on food. We spent the most on food because we are a poor country. In reality, we spend 35.9% on the food we actually consume. After that, we spend 16% on dwelling, water, electricity and gas. Clothing and footwear – 8.4%, transport – 7.4%, furniture, equipment and home maintenance – 5.8%,” said the economist.
Thus, according to him, the Moldovans spend 5.2 percent monthly on wasted food products at a time when household spending on health is 5.1%, on recreation and culture – 2.6%, on education -only 0.9%. “The Moldovan citizens spend more on the products they throw in the trashcan than on health, more than on recreation and five-six times more than on education,” noted Veaceslav Ioniță.
According to the expert, the Moldovans annually throw food that would be enough to feed one million poor people in the country. As regards waste in developed countries, the amount of food thrown away exceeds the amount of food produced in Africa. “If we were more rational, all the food that is processed, put on store shelves and then purchased, which is thrown away annually by people in developed countries, would be enough to feed poor people everywhere,” he said.
Veaceslav Ioniță argued that although the Moldovans over the last three years experienced the highest increase in food prices in the last 20 years, they continue to waste food products. “In the last three years, Moldova had the highest inflation in the last 20 years. What should make us think is that food prices are increasing, but we continue to throw away a lot.”
According to the economist, the poorer is a country, the higher is the share of spending on food in the family budget. For example, 20% of the richest Moldovans spend 30.3% on food. Another 20% – just over 42%. The next 20% – over 47%. Another 20% – almost 52%, and the last 20% or 250,000 families – almost 57%. “In our country, the richest people spend less on food. They have money, they can afford to pay for better education for the child, for travel, go to restaurants, entertain themselves, etc.,” said the expert.
He also said that from what they purchase, the Moldovans throw annually an average of 76 kilograms of food per person. The rankings are topped by Greece with 142 kilograms per capita annually. The next are Malta with 129 kg, Luxembourg – 90 kg, Ukraine and Moldova – 76 kg, etc. This amount is just waste made by households. In addition to what is thrown away from home, they also throw away at shops, factories, etc. Of what is thrown away, 40% of waste is made by consumers, 25% – by the manufacturing sector, 20% – by processors, and 15% – by the commercial sector.
