Due to the alarming rate of food that are put to waste by the world's population today, the government of France has banned local supermarkets from throwing away unsold food and letting them rot.
The law, which was voted unanimously by the French Senate on Wednesday, requires groceries and other food stores to donate the unsold and unwanted food to charities and food banks. Before the new rule, supermarkets were reported to have bleach poured over discarded food to avoid food scavengers. Some even store the food surplus in locked warehouses that will be soon forgotten. Any supermarket with a footprint of 400 square meters or larger shall strictly observe the law.
A petition launched by Courbevoie councilor Arash Derambarsh put the legislation of the new law in motion. Any proven violators should pay corresponding fines up to 3570 EUR.
"This battle is only just beginning. We now have to fight food waste in restaurants, bakeries, school canteens and company canteens," Derambarsh expressed.
Food banks and other non-government organization commends and supports the newly passed rule, hoping that this change would have dramatic effects to society, not only to aid the pressing issue of global food waste but also the balanced health and nutrition of everyone, especially the less fortunate.
"Most importantly, because supermarkets will be obliged to sign a donation deal with charities, we'll be able to increase the quality and diversity of food we get and distribute," Jacques Bailet from Banques Alimentaires-a network of food banks told the Guardian, "In terms of nutritional balance, we currently have a deficit of meat and a lack of fruit and vegetables. This will hopefully allow us to push for those products,"he said.
Derambarsh is now advocating that a similar law be passed, looking forward that a European Union-wide law against food waste be legislated soon.
"The next step is to ask the president, François Hollande, to put pressure on Jean-Claude Juncker and to extend this law to the whole of the EU," Derambarsh said.