Under plans to cut down on waste, Spain will require restaurants and bars to supply ‘doggy bags’ to diners, with fines of up to £50,000 levied to owners who throw food out.
The government approved a draft measure today to cut the 1.3 million tonnes of food and drink thrown away in Spain each year, comparable to existing rules in France and Italy.
After a cabinet meeting, Food Minister Luis Planas said, “This is a pioneering legal instrument to avoid wastefulness” in the food chain, from producers to consumers, which causes financial losses and has an environmental impact.
In a world where unfortunately hunger and malnutrition still exist, these are things which weigh on everyone’s conscience,’ he said.
An estimated 250 euros (£212) of food per person is thrown away every year, according to government figures.
Under the new legislation, both supermarkets and restaurants will have to find ways of distributing leftover food to NGOs and food banks.
In cases where, for example, fruit has become too overripe to be sold, it must be used for making jams or juices, or in cases where it is no longer fit for human consumption, it must be used for animal food or composted.
To avoid waste, restaurants will also have to provide customers free containers to take home their leftovers, a practice which is uncommon in Spain.
The bill lays out fines for failing to comply, which range from 2,001 euros to 60,000 euros (£50,000).
Planas said the aim was not to create an ‘interventionist law’ but one which would ‘raise awareness’ about food waste.
There would be no sanctions for private homes but they would be targeted by educational campaigns.
Other countries such as Italy and France have already adopted laws in recent years targeting food waste.
In line with objectives laid out by the United Nations, the European Union has committed to reducing by half food waste by both companies and consumers by 2030.