3 December 2015

Press release

PFP welcomes the circular economy package

The EU Primary Food Processors Association (PFP) welcomes the Commission’s circular economy package as it recognizes the importance of biomass and bio-based products as one of the five priority areas to lead to a circular economy in the EU.

The bioeconomy, which encompasses the sustainable production of renewable resources and their conversion into food, feed, fibres, materials, chemicals and bioenergy through efficient and/or innovative technologies, is indeed circular by nature, and the use of renewable raw materials as an alternative to fossil-based ingredients and products leads the transition to a resource-efficient low-carbon economy.

Reacting to the publication of the package, the PFP President Gianfranco Patrucco, said “Primary Food Processors are ideally positioned at the cross-roads of food, feed, industrial and energy production to make a positive contribution to the EU circular economy. Besides our main outlets which are food and feed, we have a long tradition of processing renewable raw materials to produce ingredients for pharmaceuticals, detergents, plastics, lubricants, fuels, paint, paper, cosmetics and other industrial products. However, in order to boost demand and investments in bio-based products in the long run, PFP members need concrete market-creation measures and a stable and predictable regulatory framework”.

PFP members run on biorefineries, valorising all the components of the agricultural raw materials they process, and producing minimal waste. PFP also welcomes the approach of the Commission, as presented in the communication, with regards to food waste. This approach tackles the right issues and shows clear understanding of the priority.

Notes to the editor:

*About EU Primary Food Processors:

PFP is the association for the European primary food processing industry to the European institutions and international organisations. PFP members form a vital link in the food chain, processing agricultural raw materials, and delivering efficiently produced, high quality safe food for our customers and the consumer.

PFP members are:

  •  European Cocoa Association - ECA
  • European Committee of Sugar Manufacturers - CEFS
  • European Flour Milling Association - EFM
  • European Vegetable Oil and Proteinmeal Industry - FEDIOL
  • European starch industry - Starch Europe
  • European Vegetable Protein Federation – EUVEPRO

The recently-published LEI Wageningen UR Report “Primary Food Processing, cornerstone of plant-based food production and the bio-economy in Europe”assessed the sectors’ economic contribution as follows:

  • directly employ more than 120,000 people
  • provide indirect employment to more than 1 million EU farmers (400,000 on a full time equivalent basis)
  • process over 200 million tonnes of EU agricultural raw materials
    generate 70 billion Euros in revenues each year

Primary Food Processors position papers relevant to the circular economy:

For more information please visit: www.pfp-eu.org

Correspondence for media inquiries: info@pfp-eu.org

Link to press release: PFP welcomes the circular economy package

December 3, 2015

Related Key-messages

4. Bioeconomy

We develop bio-based materials and alternatives to fossil-based products

We develop bio-based materials and alternatives to fossil-based products in industrial applications from renewable resources, offering functional properties and CO2 emission reductions.