The French legislation blocking supermarkets from disposing of unsold foodstuffs will be copper-fastened into law on 13 January, after l'Assemblée Nationale voted universally in favour of it, lemonde.fr reports.
From 13 January onwards shops and supermarkets can be prosecuted by the French government for failing to adhere to the new code of practice. It was described in l'Assemblée Nationale as “a key step for the welfare of the planet.”
Arash Derambarsh, a councillor who campaigned for the move, told UK newspaper the Guardian, “It’s extremely rare for a law to be passed so quickly and with unanimous support.”
He and others have begun work to persuade other EU governments to take similar zero-tolerance measures to stop food waste.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
