Toidujäätmete teke Eesti kaubandus- ja toiduainetööstusettevõtetes

This 2015 report by SEI Tallinn analyzes food waste in Estonia's retail and food processing sectors. It finds that while Estonia generates less food waste per capita than several other European nations, significant losses occur in retail (approx. 12,000 tonnes annually) and the meat industry. Key drivers include poor sales forecasting, consumer behavior, and production process residues. The report highlights barriers to food donation, such as transport and legal ambiguity, and recommends national strategies to reduce food loss.

• In 2013, retail companies in Estonia generated approximately 5,290 tonnes of separately collected food waste, consisting of bio-waste, animal tissue waste, and food oils and fats. When including food waste disposed of in mixed municipal waste, the total is estimated at approximately 6,200 tonnes per year.
• Detailed analysis of retail stores indicates that approximately 12,000 tonnes of food remain unsold annually across Estonia. The daily average of unsold food varies by store size: large stores (super- and hypermarkets) average 128 kg, medium stores average 29 kg, and small stores average 4.8 kg.
• The estimated annual financial loss from unsold food in Estonian retail stores is approximately 22 million euros, based on purchase price. The cost of written-off food as a percentage of turnover is generally below 3%, with an average of 1.8%.
• Fruit and vegetables make up the largest share of unsold food by weight (47%), with exotic fruits (42%) and seed fruits (28%) dominating the fruit category, and fruit-vegetables (51%) and leaf vegetables (33%) dominating the vegetable category.
• The primary drivers of food waste in retail are the difficulty of sales planning and forecasting, consumer preferences and habits, and strict quality requirements for appearance, particularly for fruits and vegetables.
• In 2013, food processing companies in Estonia generated 3,392 tonnes of separately collected food waste. The meat industry was the largest contributor, accounting for 79% of this total, primarily consisting of animal tissue waste.
• Food waste in the processing sector is largely driven by the inherent nature of production processes (e.g., cleaning residues, rapeseed cake, whey), which are often unavoidable and unsuitable for human consumption. Technological problems and low employee competence are also cited as causes.
• Barriers to donating food to the Food Bank (Toidupank) include difficulties in organizing transport (especially for rural and small stores), the cost of separate storage and sorting, and legal uncertainties regarding tax laws and hygiene requirements.
• Compared to other developed European countries (Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK), Estonia generates relatively less food waste per capita across the supply chain. In Estonia, households are the largest source of waste, accounting for over 70% of the total (approx. 70,000 tonnes per year).

APA

Moora, H., Urbel-Piirsalu, E., & Viilvere, T. (2015). Toidujäätmete teke Eesti kaubandus- ja toiduainetööstusettevõtetes. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4662.pdf

Chicago

Moora, Harri, Evelin Urbel-Piirsalu, and Triin Viilvere. Toidujäätmete teke Eesti kaubandus- ja toiduainetööstusettevõtetes. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4662.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moora |first1=Harri |last2=Urbel-Piirsalu |first2=Evelin |last3=Viilvere |first3=Triin |title=Toidujäätmete teke Eesti kaubandus- ja toiduainetööstusettevõtetes |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4662.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moora2015toidujtmete, author = {Moora, Harri and Urbel-Piirsalu, Evelin and Viilvere, Triin}, title = {{Toidujäätmete teke Eesti kaubandus- ja toiduainetööstusettevõtetes}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4662.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }