A full year after Spain passed a monumental food waste law, the regulation now has some teeth.
As Madrid Secreto reported, the grace period for businesses to adapt ended April 3. Spanish authorities are now free to sanction violators with fines ranging from €2,000 ($2,356) to €500,000 ($589,042).
One of the notable measures of the law is that restaurants must offer customers the opportunity to carry out any leftover food free of charge. Officials want this to be made clear to patrons, ideally on the menu.
The legislation extends beyond restaurants, though. Supermarkets and even hospitals have to comply with the regulations. Grocery stores are compelled to promote products as they reach their expiration dates.
Certain entities are exempt from this law, including buffet-style restaurants, small-scale markets with fewer than 10 employees, and agricultural operations that are limited in size.
Still, the law could make a big dent in what is a massive global problem. Avery Dennison's latest report suggests that the cost of global food waste will exceed $540 billion a year by the end of 2026.
The law dictates the hierarchy of how potential food waste is dealt with. First is consumption, then comes donation, use through processing or animal feed, and lastly composting. Another route is donation to food banks, pantries, and nonprofits.
Diverting food waste from landfills is of the utmost importance. Food waste is responsible for a whopping 6% of global pollution, according to Our World in Data.
It is doubly frustrating if that waste occurs with uneaten food, especially as global food insecurity could be on the rise because of agricultural challenges.
In Spain, there are high hopes for this measure, per Madrid Secreto. The law looks to cut per capita food waste in retail and consumption in half by 2030 and lower losses in the production and supply chains by 20% in the same time frame.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"Drastically reducing this volume of food loss and waste is a moral imperative for public authorities and supply chain operators," the year-old regulation reads.
With the grace period over, it's time to hold all businesses to that standard.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
Cool Picks
