Have you ever wondered what happens to all the food that goes uneaten or “spoils” in supermarkets and restaurants? We certainly have, and it’s a little disheartening to know that for the most part, that food gets wasted. But don’t lose faith just yet because there’s one nation leading the charge against food waste.
France is now the first country in the world that requires all large supermarkets — by law — to donate unsold food to charities and food banks. You go, Glen Coco!
It started as a campaign led by shoppers, anti-poverty campaigners, and anti-food wasters — then grew into a petition and finally became a bill. The law, passed earlier this month, will provide millions of meals every year.
Previously, many French supermarkets disposed of their food waste in storage bins. Then at night, people in need (families, students, unemployed, and homeless) scavenged through the bins. This led to some drastic measures, as several supermarkets began dousing bins in bleach “to prevent food poisoning” while others locked their bins away.
Food banks and charities are hopeful that this new law will provide the fruits, vegetables and meat they need to nutritionally diversify meals. They expect that even a 15% increase in food from supermarkets will allow for 10 million more meals each year. It seems so simple, it’s hard to understand why this isn’t a universal thing.
An additional piece of the law now makes it easier for food banks to receive food directly from factories because, in the past, donating any excess produced in factories was a complicated process.
Supporters in France hope the new law will spur action across the rest of Europe. We have our sights set even further and would like to see this catch on here in the U.S. — despite the fact that 1 in 7 families can’t find enough to eat, about 10% of available food supply is wasted every year at the retail level.