Methodology for the EEA’s Early Warning Assessments: Food Waste Reduction Targets

This ETC working paper outlines the methodology used for the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) contribution to the Early Warning Mechanism, in accordance with Article 11b of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), which was amended in September 2025. It supports the monitoring progress towards the WFD’s food waste reduction targets, due by 31 December 2030: a 10% reduction in food waste from processing and manufacturing, and a 30% per capita reduction across retail, food distribution, restaurants, food services and households. The methodology identifies potential shortfalls early and enables corrective action by applying Success/Risk Factors (SRFs) that influence target achievement. Each SRF is assessed qualitatively for data robustness, while numerical data relies on Eurostat’s validation and quality checks. The publication also evaluates each Member State’s progress towards meeting the targets.