Study of the economic impacts of halving food waste in France
Context
Measuring the impact of halving food waste in France
With 20kg of food waste per person per year in France and an annual cost for French consumers estimated between 4 and 10 billion euros, the fight against food waste represents a major challenge and an important lever for action in the context of ecological and energy transition.
ADEME is thus seeking to estimate the economic, social, and environmental consequences of halving food waste in France throughout the entire agricultural value chain (production, processing, distribution, and consumption).
service
Evaluate ex ante the economic effects of waste reduction
Vertigo Lab has been commissioned to conduct an ex ante evaluation of food waste reduction actions to identify their main effects and to deduce which links in the food chain to focus reduction efforts on based on government objectives.
The evaluation proposed in this study is based on a computable general equilibrium model (MAGNET), developed by the LEI Wageningen research institute, which assesses the socioeconomic impacts of the policy by focusing on the costs and benefits assumed by the reduction of waste.
The interest of the model is to incorporate rebound effects: for example, a reduction in food loss during production or processing contributes to increased agricultural production, putting downward pressure on agricultural prices.
The study proposes to evaluate the impacts that can be expected from this reduction by conducting 7 scenarios of food waste reduction by the year 2025. This is the first French study aimed at measuring these impacts prospectively.
BENEFITS
Anticipate socioeconomic effects and guide public action
The results showed that a reduction of 25% in food waste across the entire agricultural value chain generates an economic benefit ranging from 1,7 billion euros to 6,5 billion euros.
This prospective analysis has identified the most sensitive sectors and anticipated redistributive effects along the food chain.
By providing a robust quantitative basis, the study has strengthened the ability of public authorities to implement an ambitious national policy to combat food waste.
The + Vertigo Lab
Expertise in macroeconomic modeling and prospective analysis of public policies, applied to the challenges of ecological transition.
analyzed scenarios
reduction in food waste %
estimated at €6.5 billion in economic benefits
for this 25% reduction
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