policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain-952df18f553c1cb5.pdf

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute details the volume and causes of food waste and food loss across Estonia's food supply chain, based on a study conducted between 2020 and 2021. It identifies households as the largest contributors to food waste and highlights a significant increase in waste within the retail sector compared to 2015.

• Estonia generates approximately 167,000 tonnes of food waste annually, which equates to 127kg per capita across the entire food supply chain. Half of this total (50%), or about 84,000 tonnes, is classified as food loss (avoidable food waste), with an estimated annual monetary value of €164 million.
• Households are the primary source of food waste in Estonia, producing 81,000 tonnes annually (nearly half of the national total). Of this, 42% (34,000 tonnes) is avoidable food loss, costing households approximately €98 million per year. This represents a considerable increase over 2015 levels, with food waste and food loss rising by 13% and 33% respectively, which the study attributes to higher income levels and improved living standards.
• In Estonian households, the most wasted food groups are vegetables (32% of food loss), cooked ready-to-eat food (22%), fruits and berries (18%), and dairy products (13%). The primary reason for disposal is food becoming spoiled (49%), followed by food being stored too long (15%) or expiring (11%).
• Food waste in the retail sector has increased significantly from approximately 12,000 tonnes in 2015 to 20,000 tonnes of unsold food products annually. Large grocery stores waste 46 tonnes per year, medium stores 11 tonnes, and small stores 1.7 tonnes. While 12% of unsold food is donated to charity, the main drivers of waste are inadequate sales planning and forecasting, as well as consumer behavior.
• The catering sector generates about 11,000 tonnes of food waste per year, with 75% coming from catering companies, 22% from school and kindergarten canteens, and 3% from hospitals. Avoidable food waste (food loss) makes up 74% of this total, primarily driven by plate leftovers (approximately 53%).
• The food processing industry generates approximately 32,000 tonnes of food waste annually, but has the lowest share of avoidable food loss at 10% (3,200 tonnes). Fruit and vegetable processing is the largest contributor (52%), followed by meat (13%) and grain (9%).
• Primary production generates approximately 24,000 tonnes of food waste annually, with a high proportion of food loss (82%). Potato cultivation is the largest contributor, accounting for nearly 60% of this waste. In specific sub-sectors, production loss was recorded at 3.5% for milk production, 1.2% for wheat cultivation, and 0.1% for aquaculture.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain-952df18f553c1cb5.pdf. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain-952df18f553c1cb5.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain-952df18f553c1cb5.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendpolicybriefthegenerationoffoodwasteandfoodlossintheestonianfoodsupplychain952df18f553c1cb5pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain-952df18f553c1cb5.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/policy-brief-the-generation-of-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-the-estonian-food-supply-chain.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }