France Bans Waste Of Unsold Food

In recent decades, food waste has become a controversial topic worldwide. It is estimated that more than 1.3 million tonnes of food is dumped annually. This is while thousands of people die of malnutrition or hunger every day.

For many years, various attempts have been made to reduce these figures. Unfortunately,  the latest studies show that food waste is still a major problem. 

The main criticism of the big food distributors is that they throw away significant amounts of unsold food, which is close to the expiration date, when they could donate these products to those in need.

To counter this problem, last year, Arash Derambarsh, a 35-year-old local Parisian councilor, had a unique initiative. It is about creating a law banning food waste in supermarkets.

Mr Derambarsh proposed that large supermarket chains donate unsold food to charities or food banks. In this way, those products can reach those in need.

Following a massive campaign by consumers and activists fighting poverty, the French Senate unanimously approved the law proposed by Councilor Derambarsh. Thus, thousands of homeless people had something to gain.

France, the first country in the world to ban food waste

The decision of the French Senate made this country the first in the world to prohibit the waste of food in supermarkets by law.

Any grocery store with an area of ​​more than 400 m² will have to sign a donation contract with a charity. Otherwise, these stores risk fines of up to € 75,000. In addition, their employers could be punished with up to two years in prison.

The adoption of this law thanked the NGOs that supported it. They will now have food to distribute to those in need.

Jacques Bailet, the leader of the network of French food banks, expressed the hope that this initiative will lead to an increase in the amount of vegetables, fruits and meat donated. These are the foods that these NGOs lack the most.

Charities and registered food banks will be responsible for collecting and storing donated food. In order to cope with the influx of new foods, these organizations need to increase their number of employees.

The new law will punish all supermarkets that choose to waste food, intentionally destroying edible products. This practice has become very popular, the purpose being to prevent those in need from taking food thrown in the trash.

Unfortunately, the number of families, students and the unemployed who have to rummage through the bins to feed themselves has increased significantly in recent years.

To stop this practice and – say representatives of food chain chains – to prevent possible cases of food poisoning, supermarket employees have adopted the practice of spraying bleach on food before throwing it in the trash.

Other food distributors let their products close to the expiration date spoil in private warehouses. Subsequently, they are collected by garbage trucks.

The next challenge for charities that want to stop food waste

As already mentioned, the law to prevent food waste has entered into force. Thus, charities in France need to prepare for the new challenges.

The first step will be to increase the number of volunteers. We need more people who can process and distribute the donated food properly.

These organizations will also need trucks, storage spaces and refrigerators to store the food they receive.

The main objective of these organizations is to persuade the European Union to require other Member States to adopt similar laws. 

Grocery stores are responsible for only 11% of food waste in France. In the case of restaurants, the percentage is 15%. Ordinary consumers are the main perpetrators, being responsible for 67% of food waste in their country.

Those who have promoted the initiative to reduce food waste and help the poor are aware that their struggle is not over yet.

But simply adopting the law presented in this article is a major victory. This is an important step towards creating a generous and sustainable society.

Bailet claims that a simple 15% increase in donations from supermarkets means an additional 10 million meals for the poor.

In the long run, the goal is for more countries to take similar initiatives, both to combat food waste and especially to help those in need.