After France and Italy, the Spanish government today introduced a bill aimed at ending food waste and mainly imposing fines on restaurants and supermarkets that throw products in the trash.
“In a world where, unfortunately, there is hunger and malnutrition, these issues weigh on everyone’s conscience,” said Agriculture Minister Luis Planas after the cabinet meeting.
This bill will have to be approved by parliament. The aim is to reduce the volume of food and beverages (approximately 1.36 million tonnes) thrown by Spaniards each year. The value of the food that ends up in the trash corresponds to 250 euros for each resident of Spain.
Supermarkets and restaurants need to set up a mechanism through which they can sell unsold food to NGOs or food banks. If they are no longer suitable for eating, they can be turned into juices or jams, for example, or made into animal feed or fertilizers.
Restaurants will also have to give their customers free packages to take with them their surplus food, a practice that is not very common in Spain.
The fines, if the measures are not observed, will range from 2,001 up to 60,000 euros. There will be no penalties for consumers, for whom an awareness campaign will be launched.
The European Union is committed to halving food waste by 2030, a goal shared by the UN. Similar measures have recently been adopted by Italy and France.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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