The Netherlands has launched a new initiative that aims to reduce food waste in the country by half in 2030 compared to 2015 levels.

The Circular Economy in Food Task Force - the originator of initiative 'United against food waste' - is made up of 25 members, including Rabobank, McDonald's, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

It said €7 million will be provided over the next four years by the Minstry and Nature and Food Quality.

This money will be used to support the project via investments in innovation, research, monitoring and education.

The members of the task force will collectively 'undertake actions and initiatives to structurally reduce the amount of waste from farm to fork in the coming years'.

The initiative is an effort from the Netherlands to become the first European nation to meet Target 12.3 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten explained how serious it is to waste food "when you consider how widespread poverty remains around the world, even in the Netherlands."

However, reducing food waste would be beneficial in more than one way, as the minister said: "Less waste would also allow a significant reduction in CO2 emissions while saving money. In short, it would be good for the environment as well as the finances".

While the initiative is ambitious, as currently a third of the world's prepared food goes to waste, Toine Timmermans from Wageningen University said that the goal can be achieved.

"The task force shows that, if we all build together, with companies at the helm, it is possible to develop an ecosystem of solutions that will generate economic, environmental and social progress towards achieving the transition to a better and more circular food system," she said.

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