Bridging local actions and national policies to reduce food waste in the Mediterranean

Over 290 participants gathered for the eighth SFS-MED webinar on 28 January 2025, discussing strategies to tackle food loss and waste in Mediterranean cities. Organized by the SFS-MED Platform partners under the framework of the Food is Never Waste Coalition, the session highlighted the crucial role of cities in reducing waste, improving food security and advancing agrifood systems transformation.

During the panel discussion moderated by Let’s Food, speakers representing municipalities, national governments, academia and the private sector shared insights on innovative policies and collaborative actions to tackle food loss and waste.

The municipalities of La Goulette, Tunisia and Amman, Jordan presented concrete initiatives to improve food distribution, promote more sustainable consumption patterns, manage organic waste and implement circular economy principles. To reduce food loss and waste, La Goulette has adopted a four-axes approach focusing on regulation, information and training, intersectoral collaboration and technological innovation. Key actions included improvements to the fish market and the establishment of a dedicated unit within the municipality to handle food waste. Amman is tackling its 250 000 tons of annual food waste by developing a strategic action plan, partnering with stakeholders to implement composting solutions and learning from exchanges with the city of Milan and global organizations. Both cities emphasized the importance of intersectoral collaboration, knowledge sharing and city-to-city exchanges.

The representative of the Directorate-General for Food at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of France stressed the importance of aligning local initiatives aimed at preventing waste and repurposing it with national regulatory frameworks and investment in sustainable agrifood systems. Through national legislation and innovative policies, France supports local governments in implementing prevention plans for household waste, school feeding programmes and more than 450 territorial food programmes involving all stakeholders at the municipality level.

Fossoul Agricole, a business operating in Algeria and France, upcycles food waste and unsold food into new products, reducing environmental impact and boosting economic opportunities, in line with the principle “nothing is wasted, everything can be transformed”.

Research initiatives like the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action FoodWaStop showcased efforts to quantify, prevent and repurpose waste across the Mediterranean, emphasizing the key role of consumers in reducing food waste.

The discussion reinforced that cities are not working in isolation: regional cooperation, knowledge exchange and multistakeholder platforms are essential in amplifying impact.

“Acting in cities is not just about making change in the city itself, but also in the territories around these cities and definitely in the countries and indeed globally” reminded Divine Njie, Deputy Director of FAO's Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division. “In order to maximize their impact, urban initiatives must be integrated into national and global strategies, ensuring that city actions align with and contribute to larger development goals”, and at the same time, “national policies and frameworks must also support cities in implementing reduction strategies and initiatives. It is a two-way process”.

Strengthening vertical coordination between national and local stakeholders, investing in education and scaling up effective solutions are key elements in accelerating progress in transitioning towards more sustainable agrifood systems. The private sector and civil society have a critical role to play and are often leading the way in food waste initiatives in the region.

For more insights, visit the SFS-MED Platform’s webpage and stay connected to upcoming initiatives by joining the mailing list.