On one of the few issues that can pull together all of France’s political parties, the National Assembly voted unanimously this week to require supermarkets to donate unsold or slightly-outdated food to charities instead of dumping it.
The law, which will take effect in January, was also passed last year, but with technical defects that caused a court to block it. It will require each market to pair up with an approved charity that will use or distribute the food.
The national statistical agency estimates that French households throw out about 20 to 30 kilos of usable food a year; when the whole food process, including stores is included, the figure rises to about 140 kilos. The new measure is intended to cut that down.
Members of the Assembly quoted in the press viewed the measure as also connected to the environmental movement and the climate change conference that just ended by pointing out the amounts of energy and water wasted by discarding edible food.
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This is a great idea. I believe it is banned in most of North America. I know a restaurant owner who used to give his unused food to a shelter. The government forbid it and now it goes into the trash.