Huge amounts of edible food are thrown away into landfills across the world.
According to a United Nations report, one-third of the world’s produced food is wasted every year.
However, one country is doing something to fix the problem: France forces supermarkets to give unsold food to charity.
The National Assembly of France voted new laws to force grocery chains to donate unused food to charity, or allow it to be turned into animal food, compost, and even energy.
“It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” said Guillaume Garot, the politician who sponsored the bill.
Grocery stores larger than 400 square meters will be required to sign a contract with a charity to donate edible foods that are unused.
Food waste is a global problem, and America is one of the worst offenders. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 36 million tons of food waste is produced in the United States every year.
Arash Derambarsh, the councilor behind the campaign to pass the new law in France now wants to convince other European countries to follow suit, and eventually the entire globe.
“Food is the basis of life, it is an elementary factor in our existence,” Derambarsh told the Guardian.
Derambarsh plans to work with campaign group ONE, which was founded by U2’s Bono when the United Nations meets to discuss its goals to end poverty. He will also bring up the issue in the G20 economic summit in Turkey and the COP21 conference in Paris later this year.
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REFERENCES:
1. “France Makes It Illegal for Supermarkets to Destroy Edible Food in Effort to Cut Waste.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 22 May 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
2. “It’s Now Illegal in France for Grocery Stores to Throw Away Edible Food.” Eater. Eater, 26 May 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
3. “Reducing Wasted Food Basics.” EPA. EPA, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.
4. “UN Report: One-third of World’s Food Wasted Annually, at Great Economic, Environmental Cost.” UN News Center. UN, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 May 2015.
