Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti toidutarneahelas

This report analyzes the generation and causes of food waste and food loss across the entire Estonian food supply chain in 2020. It estimates that approximately 167,000 tons of food waste are generated annually in Estonia, with households being the largest contributors. The study provides a detailed breakdown of waste by sector—households, catering, trade, industry, and primary production—and offers strategic recommendations for reduction and better national accounting.

• Estonia generates approximately 167,000 tons of food waste annually, which equates to 127 kg per capita. The distribution of waste generation is: households (48%), food industry (19%), primary production (14%), trade (12%), and the catering sector (6%).
• Food loss (avoidable food waste) accounts for 50% of total food waste, totaling about 84,000 tons per year. The estimated annual monetary value of this wasted food across the entire supply chain is 164 million euros.
• Estonian households generate approximately 81,000 tons of food waste annually, of which 42% (about 34,000 tons) is avoidable food loss. This represents an increase in both total waste (13%) and the share of food loss (33%) compared to 2014, suggesting that waste has increased as incomes have risen.
• In households, the primary cause of food loss is spoilage, occurring in 49% of cases. The most discarded food groups are vegetables (32% of avoidable waste), followed by cooked food residues (23%), fruits and berries (18%), and dairy products (13%).
• The catering sector generates about 11,000 tons of food waste annually. Approximately 74% of this is avoidable food loss, with the primary cause being food left on plates by customers (averaging 71% of food loss).
• Retail stores generate approximately 20,000 tons of avoidable food waste (food loss) annually. About 12% of unsold food is donated to charity organizations like the Foodbank. The main causes of waste are inadequate sales planning and consumer behavior.
• The food industry generates approximately 32,000 tons of food waste, but the share of avoidable food loss is low (about 10% or 3,200 tons) because most waste consists of unavoidable production by-products. Fruit and vegetable processing is the largest contributor, accounting for 52% of industry waste.
• Primary production generates about 24,000 tons of food waste annually, with 82% being food loss. Potato cultivation is the most significant source, accounting for nearly 60% of primary production waste due to long processing cycles from harvest to packaging.
• In dairy production, no food waste was recorded in 2020, but production loss (non-waste loss) amounted to 3.5% of volume, primarily occurring during milking due to high somatic cell counts (66%) or antibiotics (57%).
• In wheat cultivation, 1.2% of production was discarded as food waste, while production loss was 7.6%. The primary cause of production loss during harvest is unfavorable weather conditions.
• The report recommends creating a more concrete national action plan (roadmap) with measurable goals, establishing a food waste prevention platform for stakeholders, and improving the national accounting of animal by-products.

APA

Piirsalu, E., Moora, H., Väli, K., Aro, K., Värnik, R., & Lillemets, J. (2021). Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti toidutarneahelas. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/toidujaatmete-ja-toidukao-teke-eesti-toidutarneahelas-2021.pdf

Chicago

Piirsalu, Evelin, Harri Moora, Kadi Väli, Kersti Aro, Rando Värnik, and Jüri Lillemets. Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti toidutarneahelas. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/toidujaatmete-ja-toidukao-teke-eesti-toidutarneahelas-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{piirsalu2021toidujtmete, author = {Piirsalu, Evelin and Moora, Harri and Väli, Kadi and Aro, Kersti and Värnik, Rando and Lillemets, Jüri}, title = {{Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti toidutarneahelas}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/toidujaatmete-ja-toidukao-teke-eesti-toidutarneahelas-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }