Kudos to the French here!!  While you can argue about government intervention in business, etc.,  they are doing the right thing and trying to fix something that I’ve talked about before–the needless waste of food.  With tons of homeless people everywhere, seeing dozens of loaves of bread thrown out each week (along with plenty of candy, canned goods and snack foods) is very frustrating and I would love to see the U.S. crack down in a similar fashion.   If not an outright ban, maybe just a tax on any food that is disposed of just for “convenience.” 

 

France’s parliament just voted to ban grocery stores from destroying or throwing away unsold food. Instead, supermarket owners will have to donate the food to charity or give it farms to be turned into animal feed or compost.

This decision was part of a bill aiming to decrease waste and diminish France’s environmental impact. The measure, proposed by the Socialist deputy Guillaume Garot, was approved by the national assembly on Thursday. The overall bill is still being discussed and will need final approval from the senate.

Larger grocery stores (400 sq m or more) must sign a formal contract with charities by next July promising to deliver all surplus food. Failing to do so will lead to a €75,000 ($83,000) fine, or two years in jail.

Along with cracking down on supermarkets, the bill will also look to curb waste in school cafeterias and remove the “best before” stamps on fresh food. This is part of France’s overall goal to cut waste by 50 percent by 2025.