Page 88 - Erasmus+ : Food on Europe's Tables

83 Evaluation of the Results

ast year, France became the first
L country in the world to ban super-
markets from throwing away or destroy-
ing unsold food. Instead, it forces them
to donate surplus food to charities and
food banks. According to the French reg-
ulation, large supermarkets are no longer
allowed to throw away good quality food
approaching its “best-before” date. If they
don‘t comply they will get a fine up to 75
000 euros.

Furthermore, all French supermarkets are
also forbidden to destroy food as a way
to prevent so-called “dumpster divers” or
“freegans” from getting food from garbage
bins. That is why the interviewees of stu-
dents in France in supermarkets said that
food waste in hypermarkets and super-
markets has been drastically reduced. In
their small supermarkets, they were also
trying to waste less food but they explained
that it was more difficult for them, even if
most of them were working with a charity
or a food bank.

×

Food Waste:
© public domain.

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