Activity under preparation Promoting Circular Economy in the Food Sector The Action is part of EU¿s response to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and will contribute to promotion of a circular economy in the food sector.In response to the economic and food crisis in the short and medium-term, the Action will support initiatives that increase food availability for vulnerable people through more efficient distribution channels/mechanisms avoiding food waste and/or convert food waste into much needed farming inputs (organic fertiliser, animal feed, ¿) at a time these inputs are experiencing severe shortages on the market.The first specific objective will be to increase recovery, processing and supply of edible and safe food surplus and/or waste for the benefit of vulnerable consumers and/or food producers. In order to achieve this objective, with regards to sustainable reuse of food surplus and reduction of food waste, technical support and legal frameworks for standards and safe food reuse practices will be needed, and collaborative efforts and innovative models by the private sector and civil society encouraged (i.e. food banks, social supermarkets) and public-private partnerships explored. Mechanisms will also be put in place to use food waste for animal feed through enhanced segregation, and conversion into organic fertilisers, thereby promoting organic agriculture[1].In the longer-term, the second specific objective will be to enhance effectiveness of the sustainable production, distribution and consumption models related to food waste and single use plastic food packaging. This will contribute to EU¿s longer-term objectives aiming at reducing the impact on the environment and on climate change since food production, but also plastic packaging, transportation and disposal all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. It will also contribute to reducing the negative impact of unsustainable plastic packaging on human and animal health and the environment. In order to achieve these objectives, businesses in the food industry will be encouraged to offer new products and services to reduce food waste by improving food stock management and to replace single use plastic in packaging based on innovation and technology. In this regard, different technical and vocational skills will be required and developed through the programme, leading to new employment opportunities. Access to sustainable finance and investment for new ¿greener¿ and circular production and services will be facilitated through a matching grant scheme.Awareness raising campaigns and incentives for consumer behaviour change will play an important role to ensure a transition towards more sustainable consumption, while Government policies and legal frameworks that need to be developed and implemented for a transformation to take place will be addressed mainly under EU¿s Green Policy Dialogue Facility approved under annual action programme (AAP) 2021.