Every year Spaniards throw away almost 1.4 billion kilos of food. The new anti-waste law "is a pioneering legal instrument to combat an inefficiency in the food chain that has economic, social, environmental and ethical consequences", the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food stated.
Fig. 1 Infographic on food waste in Spain in 2020
At the press conference following the Council of Ministers, Mr. Planas drew attention to the fact that the law aims to "regulate and raise awareness" and "responds to a social need," he stressed. On the one hand, it "regulates the preferential use of food for human consumption", favoring donation, and on the other it tries to "make society aware of the need to reduce food wastage".
The Minister explained that food waste represents an "inefficiency" of the food chain, which has economic, social and environmental consequences, because it involves wasting the work done by farmers in food production and misuse of natural resources consumed in this process. But also, he stressed, it is a matter that has a clear ethical character. The law is an important step forward, said the minister, who stressed its pioneering nature, since it is the first time that legislation on the matter has been passed in Spain, something that has so far only been done in France and Italy, according to him.
The keys to the law
1. Prevention plan and disposal hierarchy.
It aims to “steer towards a more efficient production system” which “focusses on development of a circular economy”. It requires all industries throughout the food chain, from the agricultural sectors to retail and hospitality businesses, to have a plan in place to cut waste.
Fig. 2. Food waste according to origin
Reducing the price of products with an approaching expiration date may harm producers, which have already been suffering the consequences of price crises for many months. While consumers see it as an opportunity to save a few euros (and environmentalists see it as a step towards a more sustainable world), it seems that farmers fear that reducing prices could be synonymous with losses.
Although in principle it is a measure that could be good for society, several farmers' associations claim that the government has not taken them into account when developing this law.
The Director General of the Food Industry of the Ministry of Agriculture rejected that the law seeks to generate more obligations and expenses to companies.