Estonian Food Bank: donating surplus food should become standard practice
Estonia discards around 80,000 tonnes of still-edible food each year while the Estonian Food Bank's warehouses often stand empty. The Climate Ministry has proposed legal amendments to encourage systematic donation of food surpluses.
Estonia generates about 167,000 tonnes of food waste annually, nearly half of which — over 80,000 tonnes — was still fit for consumption. That volume could cover the yearly food needs of roughly 100,000 people. Losses occur throughout the supply chain, from production to retail, catering and households, causing both economic damage and environmental harm, since the land, water, energy and labor invested in producing that food end up wasted.
At the same time, many people in Estonia struggle to put together their daily groceries, yet the Estonian Food Bank's warehouses are often empty. The organization helps more than 15,000 people every week and distributed around four million kilograms of edible food to those in need in 2025.
Surpluses can occur even with good planning
Companies work hard to plan production and stock precisely, but surpluses can never be fully avoided, since no business wants to risk running short. For example, at last year's Song and Dance Celebration, a large amount of soup remained despite careful planning by experienced caterers. Because the possibility of donation had been arranged in advance, a total of 8,700 liters of leftover soup was distributed to people in need through various organizations.
Local initiatives and a new draft law
Besides the Food Bank, community-level initiatives operate across Estonia, including shared food cupboards and fridges, as well as platforms where food rescued from stores can be bought for a symbolic price.
The Climate Ministry has sent for coordination a draft amendment to the Waste Act aimed at cutting food waste and boosting donation of edible surplus food. Under the proposal, by 2030 food waste in the food industry should fall by at least 10%, and in retail, catering and households by at least 30%, compared with the 2021–2023 average. The bill does not force companies to donate food, but requires large retailers and producers to publish data on the share of written-off edible food they donate, and to offer redistribution organizations a cooperation agreement.
The Food Bank supports the bill, noting that food donation currently often depends on the enthusiasm of individual employees rather than a systematic approach. According to research, more than half of food losses occur in households, meaning responsibility for reducing waste falls on the entire supply chain — from producers to consumers.
