Each person in Bulgaria threw away an average of 96 kg of food in 2023, and the country's total food waste came to 617,000 tonnes. Tsanka Milanova, executive director of the Bulgarian Food Bank (BFB), gave the figures to journalists on World Food Day, which is marked today.
These are the latest figures Bulgaria has submitted. Households produce almost half of the waste, 43%. Food production and processing account for 25%, restaurants, catering, retail and distribution for 22%, and primary production for 10%.
"We are talking about a paradox of our time: millions of tonnes of food are thrown away, while many people cannot afford a proper meal," Milanova said.
In 2024, the EU threw away 57.9 million tonnes of food, about 129 kg per person on average, little changed from 2023, the latest Eurostat data show. Milanova says the issue is even more pressing because of the EU Waste Framework Directive. It sets a target to cut food waste by 10% in production and processing, and by 30% in retail, restaurants, catering and households, by 2030.
Hristina Nikolova, director of quantitative research at Ipsos Bulgaria, presented a nationally representative survey of 1,000 people aged 18 to 65. Fantastico Group commissioned it, with help from the BFB. The poll ran between 21 September and 2 October, online and in face-to-face interviews. It followed food from planning and buying, through storage and cooking, to eating.
The results show that 51% of households threw away food in the past 30 days, and 25% do so at least once a week. Still, 63% try to throw away less. Food most often goes in the bin because it has gone off (49%). Next come cooking too much (33%), not eating it in time (30%) and forgetting about it (26%).
People often confuse "best before" and "use by" labels. Some 38% of those surveyed think a product should not be eaten after its "best before" date. Only 36% know it is often still safe after that date, although its quality may have changed. Nikolova says throwing food away is often the result of a series of small everyday actions, and that solutions that work start with understanding these habits.
Today the BFB and Fantastico launch the third edition of their "Not for the Bin" campaign. "Our aim is not just to talk about the problem, but to show that there are solutions and that everyone can help," Milanova said. She says anyone can help by shopping more wisely, using food to the end and becoming part of the change.
In 2025, the BFB saved 486,110 kg of food worth more than €2m. It reached 87,941 people in need across the country, and the bank works with 325 organisations and social services. In the first nine months of 2026, it saved 468,238 kg of food worth €1,976,263, over 28% more by weight than in the same period last year. It helped 66,b39 people.
Svetoslav Gavrilov, executive director of Fantastico Group, said: "Responsible consumption and cutting food waste are a priority in our daily work. We have steady policies for managing stock, we invest in sales control and analysis systems, and we are committed to donating food to vulnerable groups in society. Part of our effort to cut food waste is building a modern logistics centre, which avoids excess stock piling up in supermarkets. We also check expiry dates strictly and, where needed, act quickly, including by cutting prices."
The two partners are also running their traditional "Kilogram of Kindness" drive on 28 and 29 November in 10 Fantastico supermarkets. Each customer can donate a long-life product of their choice for people in need, and at the end the chain will give 10 tonnes of food to the BFB.