The western European country (one of the driving forces of the EU alongside Germany) has had a major food waste problem for a few years now, and now the traditionally progressive country has taken a new measure to keep France's supermarkets from it by ordering them to stop destroying unsold food.

In a time when consumers become increasingly aware of the many nuances of food consumption, including the potential ills of the daily tons of wasted foods all over the world, the country led by François Hollande is taking a major step in the fight against food waste by banning France's supermarkets from doing so.

According to The Guardian, the French parliament has recently pledged to crack down the country's epidemic in food waste, and their first step towards this was through passing a law that bans France's supermarkets (above all larger chains such as the internationally found Carrefour) from destroying food that hasn't been sold.

The new law, passed on the country's legislative body last Thursday, isn't directed specifically to France's supermarkets, but the measure comes from a broader bill on energy and the environment, as the country has focused a lot of legislation on this matter for the past few years.

In the new bill, the largest among France's supermarkets (namely, any shop bigger than 400 square meters) will be legally forced to sign contracts with charities or animal food companies to avoid wasting food, as that will facilitate donations of unused items.

According to Al Jazeera, the average French citizen throws out between 20 to 30kg of food per year, which translates to about $13 to $22 million annually, and the new effort hopes to see this problem cut by half by 2025.

The Independent reports that there have been similar attempts in the United Kingdom, as many have sued supermarkets over their own food waste.

Environmentalist groups and charities have applauded the move directed at France's supermarkets.