The Government passes a law against waste that will force bars to provide their leftovers

The Government has approved this Monday a draft law to tackle

that will promote donations of food and beverages in perfect consumption condition;

force bars and restaurants to provide their customers with bags or boxes for uneaten meals;

and it will require stores to carry out specific promotions on products whose expiration date is about to expire.

This was indicated by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,

, during the press conference after the Council of Ministers where a regulation was approved that, as he indicated, will benefit food security and a circular, sustainable economy , low in carbon, efficient in the use of resources and competitive.

According to their data, food waste in Spain is located in three out of every four households, which discard a volume of food of about 31.3 kilos a year, which brings to 1,364 tons the products thrown away or wasted during the year 2020. On a global scale and according to FAO figures, the world food waste figure rises to 25-30%, when there are more than 800 million people who are hungry and 1.6 billion are malnourished.

Planas explained that, with this measure, Spain is placed at the forefront of the European Union countries that take action on the matter to tackle food waste, becoming the third party that regulates after France and Italy and taking lessons in its preparation extracted by the Ministry itself with the campaigns against waste carried out in recent years.

"There is no food product more expensive than the one that ends up in the garbage, the one that is wasted," the minister stressed, and pointed out that that is why the regulation that will soon be put out for public consultation proposes measures to stop waste in all links of the chain.

"If we take into account the production and first storage, the transformation and distribution and the horeca channel, 40% of all food wasted is in transport, 5% in distribution, 40% in households and 15% in restaurants, bars, taverns ... on the horeca channel ", he illustrated.

HUMAN CHANNEL

As indicated, it will be carried out with a "hierarchy of priorities" where the food and the destination of the food

, but not only, since it provides that, if it is not suitable for said uses, It could be used as a by-product of animal feed or for other sectors such as composting for a fertilizer element or as energy material for biogas.

"When they are in perfect condition and the expiration date has not arrived, they can be sold, distributed and consumed," he said.

Precisely, among the measures to optimize the sale and consumption, it advanced that the Ministry of Agriculture together with the Ministry of Consumption are working for a better use of food in regard to the optimal consumption date.

There are currently two references: the expiration date, which must be set by the producers by European regulations;

and the date of preferred consumption, "more diffuse", but where the food or drink maintains intact all the characteristics included in the labeling.

"From there, it is perfectly consumable, but some of the conditions have degraded," he said.

The regulations will have specific obligations in the distribution channel, such as that whoever carries out the sale of agri-food products carries out specific promotions on products "that are close to the expiration of the preferred consumption date", as can now be seen in some shelves with high discounts.

It will also demand programs for the prevention and reduction of losses and waste from institutions such as health and educational centers or residences that offer catering or dining services.

DATE OF EXPIRY

"It is about preventing this product from being wasted and being part of the waste," he added, detailing that establishments with more than 400 square meters will be required by law to have a shelf or 'corner' for certain products in perfect condition. consumption

as some vegetables, fruits or organic products can be at certain times of ripening.

If the sale proves difficult, the future law is committed to also maximizing human consumption with your donation through NGOs or food banks as long as they are in perfect consumption conditions, or with their transformation into other products such as juices, jams or creams.

The Law establishes that all agents in the food chain must have a prevention plan to avoid waste and will oblige such donation to both food industries and commercial, hotel and restaurant establishments, which will be obliged to sign agreements with organizations. receivers with the conditions of collection, storage and transport and the selection of food, among other aspects.

In the horeca channel, which includes bars, restaurants, hotels, etc., the obligation will also be introduced that they provide bags, boxes or other containers to their clients so that they can take unconsumed food and prevent it from ending up in the garbage.

The minister explained that this law seeks to remedy a "triple problem": to tackle the economic losses that the work of ranchers and farmers entail and the loss of food itself;

environmental damage, since its production uses water, soil and emissions into the atmosphere;

and to respond to the "ethical and moral" debate that is supposed to throw food away when there are so many millions of people in the world who go hungry.

STATISTICS AND FINES

To better control the problem, the law will require agents in the food chain to report annually on food losses, as well as compliance with their prevention plans. In addition, the Government itself will draw up a Strategic Plan that can be reviewed every four years and applicable in the autonomous communities, in addition to committing to carry out informational and promotional campaigns to encourage responsible consumption.

In the specific case of donations, it also establishes a sanctioning regime, with fines of between 6,001 and 150,000 euros for infractions such as preventing the donation of food by means of a contract;

not to donate or distribute surpluses to companies or social initiative entities;

or that the recipient non-profit entities do not maintain correct hygiene practices in the conservation and handling of food.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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