A campaign spearheaded by a member of Nicloas Sarkozy’s Républicains party to eliminate food waste across Europe has resulted in a proposed amendment which will be voted on today (8 July) in the European parliament, The Guardian reports.
The work of Arash Derambarsh, whose “circular economy” initiative was partially behind the ban on French supermarkets dumping unsold food, has resulted in a proposed amendment, which if passed, will result in the promotion of “in member states the creation of conventions proposing that retail food sector distribute their unsold products to charity associations.”
It is estimated at present that Europe wastes about 89 million tonnes of food annually. A petition to reduce this, which has been launched in several European countries, has collected over half a million signatures.
Derambarsh observed, “In Courbevoie [where he is a councillor], we collect 40 kilogrammes of unsold food worth around €500, and we are able to help 100 people. Imagine what that translates to on a European level. With this law we can bring immediate relief to the poor and hungry.
“It’s true that these kinds of issues are normally associated with socialist politicians.”
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly
