Spanish bill provides for fines for supermarkets that waste food

The Spanish government on Tuesday adopted a bill that aims to combat food waste, including fines for restaurants and supermarkets that throw food away, similar to rules adopted in Italy and France.

“It is a pioneering legal instrument to prevent inefficiency” throughout the food chain, from production to the consumer, which causes economic damage and environmental impact, announced the Minister of Food, Luís Planas, at a press conference after the council of ministers.

“In a world where, unfortunately, hunger and malnutrition still exist, obviously this issue touches everyone’s conscience,” said the minister.

The bill, which is due to be debated in Parliament, seeks to reduce the 1.36 million tonnes of food and drink that Spaniards throw away every year, meaning a loss of 250 euros ($266) per person, according to data from the government.

In the case of supermarkets and restaurants, they will have to establish mechanisms for donating leftover food to NGOs and food banks.

If they are no longer suitable for human consumption, they must be transformed into other products, such as juices or jellies, or, as a last resort, ensure that they are suitable for animal consumption or composting.

To avoid waste, restaurants must provide their customers with free containers to take away leftovers, a practice that is not widespread in Spain.

The project provides for fines for non-compliance with the regulation, ranging from 2,001 to 60 thousand euros (from R$ 10,468 and R$ 314 thousand).

Despite this, Luís Planas stressed that this “is not intended to be an interventionist law”, but rather “raising awareness”. Thus, there will be no sanctions for families, who will be the target of educational campaigns.

Other European countries, such as Italy and France, have already adopted laws against food waste in recent years. The European Union has committed by 2030, following the UN’s goals, to halve food waste from both businesses and consumers.