In France, throwing away food from supermarkets is now considered a violation of the law. The state has established strict rules that unsold, but still edible, food is not thrown away, but donated to people in need.
Since 2016, every supermarket with an area of over 400 square meters is obliged to make agreements with food banks or charities to donate unsold products.
The law also prohibits a practice that was previously used, where some stores would intentionally spoil discarded food, for example by spraying it with bleach, so that no one would pick it up.
Thanks to this law, millions of meals have been distributed to people experiencing economic hardship, while at the same time the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills has been reduced.
If supermarkets do not implement this law, their managers can be fined up to 3,750 euros, and in some cases they can even face a prison sentence.
This initiative has also been extended to food manufacturers and catering businesses, creating a stronger system for distributing surplus food. France is now considered an example for other countries on how to simultaneously fight hunger and food waste.
t7 live
