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Date Published: 10/01/2024

Spanish government starts to tackle food waste in restaurants

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Restaurants and supermarkets in Spain could be fined up to 500,000 euros for throwing food away

Spanish government starts to tackle food waste in restaurants

A new law on the prevention of food losses and waste has been approved this week in Spain which aims at reducing the amount of food discarded by bars, restaurants and supermarkets. The legislation was actually passed in June last year but it fell by the wayside as other social issues took priority.

Once the law comes into force, establishments could be fined between 60,001 and 500,000 euros for serious breaches.

Essentially, businesses will have to come up with waste management plans that specify what is done with uneaten or unused food. For products that are still edible, restaurants and the like will be expected to donate to non-profit charities or food banks.

Establishments that measure less than 1,300 square metres will be exempt from this donation requirement.

When food is no longer suitable for human consumption, the preference for use will be, in this order, animal feeding and feed manufacturing; use as by-products in another industry and, as waste, obtaining compost or biofuels.

The government doesn’t plan on introducing these rules until January 2025.

Take out and ‘ugly’ products

Customers are also effected by the new waste law, which will ensure that all businesses selling meals, like bars, restaurants and cafes, offer patrons the option of bringing leftovers home with them in reusable or easily recyclable containers at no additional cost.

Any restaurants who refuse to do this will face a fine of 2,000 euros.

On the other hand, they must charge for single-use plastic containers as established by Waste Law 7/2022.

In terms of supermarkets, the bill will require stores to set up an area for “ugly, imperfect or unaesthetic” produce that will be sold at a cheaper price. Likewise, stores will be asked to strongly promote food that is approaching its expiration date.

Food waste in Spain

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), around 1.3 billion tonnes annually, 30% of the total food produced, is thrown out. In Spain, during 2022, households recorded a waste of 1,170.45 million kilos or litres, 6.1% less compared to the previous year and a decrease of 13.5% compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

This still means that each home in the country dumped 65.5 kilos of food or drink.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, unprocessed products like fruit and veg were the most wasted, while the amount of pre-prepared dishes thrown away increased by 6.7%.

In other news: Spain holiday calendar 2024—These are all the festivos, bank holidays and long weekends

Image: Freepik

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