Catalan households waste almost 65kg of food annually 

The average Catalan household wasted 63.61 kg of food in 2024.

This is the result of the first study focusing on food waste exclusively at the household level, by analyzing organic waste from 500 homes. According to calculations published by the agriculture department, the discarded food could feed 274,948 people for an entire year.  

The results indicate that each person throws away an average of 21.56 kg of food at home annually. With an average of three people per household, each family is estimated to waste 63.61 kg of food per year. Across all Catalan households, the total amount of discarded food reaches 173,960 tonnes. 

Òscar Ordeig, Catalonia's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food, wants to raise awareness among consumers to break cultural habits, encouraging people to buy only what they actually plan to eat, emphasizing that food waste has both social and environmental impacts. 

The minister warned that the amount of food discarded could feed 274,948 people for a year, covering the needs of 14% of Catalonia’s population at risk of poverty.

While no new data has been published on food waste in restaurants and stores, Ordeig stated that households are the biggest source of food waste. 

“We have a lot of work to do in terms of food and environmental sustainability, because every kilogram of food wasted has already required significant amounts of water and energy, which makes no sense to throw away,” Ordeig said.

He also mentioned that the department is working on a strategic plan for the prevention of food loss and waste, which is expected to be presented within a year. 

At the same time, the government is drafting regulations for implementing the law on food loss and waste prevention, focusing on short supply chains, giving unsold food a second life, and ensuring that all actors in the food sector work together to reduce waste. “The goal is to achieve zero waste, a circular economy, and sustainability across the entire food supply chain,” Ordeig stated.  

Expanding Espigoladors Foundation 

The minister made these statements during the official launch of the new processing facility of the Espigoladors Foundation in El Prat de Llobregat, just outside Barcelona. The social enterprise Es Im-perfect operates there, producing vegetable preserves from fruit and vegetables that have been rejected by commercial markets due to aesthetic standards. 

The new facility is three times the space of their previous workshop and employs 24 people at risk of social exclusion. The Espigoladors Foundation aims to expand its workforce to around 50 employees.

Its president and founder, Mireia Barba, highlighted the organization’s progress as they celebrate their 10th anniversary, stating that they intend to export their model to more areas in Catalonia and Spain.