According to this EU and FAO make active joint efforts. Annually a third part of all food in the world — 1,3 billion tons, is lost or thrown out that causes considerable financial losses as a result of wasteful use of natural resources. According to the EU evaluations, only in one Europe about 88 million tons of food annually are thrown out, and the corresponding losses are approximately 143 billion Euros.
The EU Health care and food security commissioner Vitenis Andryukaytis and the CEO of FAO Jose Gratsian da Silva agreed about the expansion of cooperation between two parties in order to solve problems connected with food wasting, food safety and the problem of antimicrobial resistance. This document reflects the priorities of FAO and the EU concerning food safety.
In the new letter of intent, FAO and the EU have the obligation to cooperate closely with each other to reduce waste quantity per capita by half by 2030 — the object set by the Global agenda in the field of sustainable development. The agreement also obliges them to intensify cooperation against antimicrobial resistance (UPP) on farms and in food systems, the FAO reports.
Graziana da Silva called UPP a global threat for people and animals, and noted that use of antibiotics, including, those for growth stimulation, is very widespread today. According to some researches, by 2050 UPP can lead to 10 million deaths a year and damage for global economy can be more than 100 million dollars. Besides health risks UPP affects food safety, and also economic wellbeing of millions of farmer households worldwide.
