FOOD WASTE: ONE CHALLENGE, MANY SOLUTIONS
In the absence of a Europe-wide legislation on food waste reduction, each country is implementing a different system. Andrea Tolu explores the approach of some nations in the Middle East and Europe – starting with Spain, where regulators have raised the bar
E
arlier this year, the Spanish government decided to take a more active role in food waste reduction. It enacted a
food waste prevention law that introduces mandatory measures across the entire food supply chain, from farms to restaurants and food retailers.
Te law establishes a clear hierarchy of
measures: preventing food surplus, donating it for human consumption, using it as animal feed, and, lastly, using it for compost or energy recovery. Requirements are modulated based
on business size. Large operators over 1,300m² of total surface (for multi- restaurant operators, this is calculated across all locations) must develop food waste prevention plans and establish formal
Restaurants, hotels, and resorts will need to find new ways to reduce food waste
92
agreements to donate surplus food to social organizations and food banks. Medium- sized businesses under this threshold are exempt from formal plans and agreements, but must still follow the waste hierarchy, while microenterprises (with fewer than 10 employees and no more than €2m turnover) are exempt from the above requirements. Te one requirement that applies to all
hospitality operators, regardless of size, is that they cannot refuse customers’ requests to take home uneaten food and must inform diners of this option, preferably on the menu itself. According to Óscar Pastor FCSI, owner
of foodservice consultancy Oh My Business, and chair of FCSI Iberia, this size-based approach that minimizes requirements for smaller operations is the correct one. “Although small restaurants are the majority by number, it’s large chains that have the
greater impact, due to the sheer volume of food they handle,” he explains. In those cases, Pastor believes implementation will take time: “Having signed agreements with social entities, adjusting operational logistics protocols, properly registering surpluses – all that cannot be resolved with a generic checklist – but in hospitality, we’re used to HACCP processes with daily data records, inventories, purchasing analysis, so it’s not very different from what a healthy business should already be doing.” Independent restaurants stand to
benefit, even if they’re not legally required to act, Pastor believes: “Almost everyone we’re talking to thinks they’ll be subject to all requirements. A lot of our work right now is to reassure them they most likely won’t be. Still, we encourage smaller operators to go beyond what the law says, because what is
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
