Almost 1.4 tons of food are thrown away in Spain every year. In order to reduce waste, the government now wants to criminalize the production of avoidable waste. Companies could then face fees of up to 60,000 euros.
Spain wants to criminalize wasting food. At a cabinet meeting, the left-leaning government approved a bill that would envisage fines of between €2,000 and €60,000 for all companies in the production and distribution chain that produce avoidable food waste. The law is to be presented to Parliament in Madrid in the next few days and will come into force at the beginning of 2023 according to the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas highlighted the “pioneering” of the “Food Loss and Waste Prevention Law” in the EU. Only France and Italy have similar rules. Precisely because there is currently a possibility of a food crisis, it is now necessary to talk about global food production, he stressed. According to the ministry, a good 1.36 million tons of food are thrown away in Spain every year. That’s around 30 kilograms worth 250 euros per person.
According to the law, restaurants and pubs should offer guests free “doggy bags” so that they can take food home that they haven’t eaten. Larger food companies should develop plans to reduce waste. Supermarkets are being urged to lower prices as the sell-by date approaches. Food donations to food banks and other support groups should also be better organized.
