Taking home leftovers from restaurant meals is a common practice in Anglo-Saxon countries and is now becoming commonplace in Italy and Europe. Restaurants in Spain will now even have to offer so-called “dog bags” to customers. The government, led by socialist Pedro Sánchez, has decided to implement this imperative from the beginning of 2023 to combat food waste. However, to avoid contributing to waste generation, facilities must have containers that can be reused, recycled or easily composted.
The food waste prevention law will cover the entire food chain. According to the manager’s plan, companies at various levels will have to come up with plans to avoid throwing food away, on the assumption that human consumption will always be the absolute priority through the donation or redistribution of food. To donate food surpluses, supply chain representatives will need to sign collaborative agreements with companies, social enterprise organizations and other nonprofits or food banks. These agreements should specify, among other things, the conditions for the collection, transportation and storage of products. Social enterprise organizations that will receive donations will have to guarantee the traceability of donated products through a system that records the inputs and outputs of food received and delivered.
When presenting the reform, Agriculture Minister Luis Planas emphasized that 40% of the waste in the country occurs in shops and homes, and another 20% in the food chain. The minister assured that the intention was to “raise public opinion”, but sanctions will be imposed on companies that do not comply with the new law: fines of up to 2,000 euros if unsold products are not donated, and up to 60,000 euros if not sold. up to half a million euros if companies in the supply chain do not implement a prevention plan and an organization commits two serious crimes within a two-year period.
A tax will also be imposed on non-reusable packaging from January 1, and some supermarkets across the country are already encouraging their customers to bring plastic containers when shopping. Carrefour, for example, allows people to buy fish, meat, smoked meat and fruit and vegetables at the stalls using their own containers, offering a cashback of 0.15 Euros on the loyalty card for each package, up to a maximum of 0.45 Euros per visit to make.
Source: Today IT