€100 Down the Drain: How Much Food Austrians Throw Away Every Month

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In Austria, the average household tosses around €100 worth of food directly into the trash—every single month. According to a report released on Tuesday by the environmental organization WWF, this equates to roughly 14 kilograms (nearly 31 pounds) of wasted food per household monthly.

To reach these figures, WWF combined existing waste studies with current retail prices. The data shows that fruits, vegetables, bread, and baked goods are the most frequent victims of the trash bin.

Households Lead the Waste Statistics

In total, Austria wastes more than 1,2 million tons of food annually. Interestingly, private households are responsible for more than half of that total, out-wasting the entire supply chain combined.

Sector	Annual Food Waste (Tons)
Private Households	685,000
Agriculture, Processing, Retail & Gastronomy	570,000
Total Waste	> 1.2 Million

The True Cost of Waste

While cheaper staples like produce and bread are thrown out most often, pricier items like meat and fish are rarely wasted. However, the WWF warns that throwing away food hurts more than just individual bank accounts; it is driving up grocery prices for everyone.

“Food waste doesn’t just burden the environment and the climate; it causes tangible costs for households. Throwing away less means saving money while protecting valuable resources.”

— Dominik Heizmann, WWF

The costs associated with producing, transporting, storing, and eventually disposing of food that is never eaten are carried along the entire value chain—ultimately inflating prices at the checkout counter.

A Call for Transparency and Education

The WWF released these findings to mark May 26th as “Food Rescue Day.” In light of the staggering numbers, the organization is calling on the Austrian government for systemic changes, including:

School Integration: More education in schools and vocational training regarding the true value of food and waste prevention.
Farm-to-Fork Tracking: A transparent, mandatory system to track food waste from the fields to the dinner plate.
Legal Frameworks: Binding reduction targets and better legal conditions to facilitate food donations.

The calculations for this study were based on data from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku) in Vienna, which analyzes household waste composition, adjusted for recent inflation and price developments.