EFFPA has published its position on the food chain circular economy. This position was also submitted to the European Commission when EFFPA uploaded its contribution to the public consultation on the circular economy which ended on 20 August 2015. In its comments to the European Commission, EFFPA expressed its support for the inclusion of a chapter on food waste in the communication on the circular economy to further improve the sustainability of the food chain.
In the position paper, EFFPA highlights the business of former foodstuff processing as a secondary raw material market when speaking in circular economy terms. Former foodstuffs processors convert losses from the food industry into a high-value ingredient for the feed industry, thereby keeping food losses in the food chain. EFFPA President Paul Featherstone: “When talking about the circular economy, people often tend to think about recycling washing machines and smartphones. While this is true, we, at EFFPA, are at the heart of the food chain circular economy, preventing valuable resources from going to waste, both in figurative and in legal terms”. To unlock the full potential of the former foodstuff processing industry in the EU, EFFPA points to the need for the Commission to create an EU-harmonised definition for former foodstuffs destined to animal feed which would clearly label former foodstuffs as a by-product.