The bill would set duties to cut food waste

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would require all players in the food chain to avoid food waste by following a priority order: first donate or redistribute for human consumption, then process products still fit to eat, then use them for animal feed, and finally recycle or recover them.
2. Food chain players would have to have a prevention plan and sign agreements to donate their surplus, unless it is unworkable or the store has 1,300 square meters of sales space or less. Microenterprises would be exempt from these duties.
3. Restaurants and bars would have to let customers take home, at no extra cost, the food they have not eaten, except at all-you-can-eat buffets, and would have to state this clearly on the menu.
4. Organizations that hand out donated food would have to guarantee traceability, not sell the products, and distribute them without discrimination. They would not be civilly or administratively liable for defects that are not obvious and that the food already had when received.
5. The Government would draw up a Strategic Plan for prevention and reduction, the autonomous communities would create their own programs, and the Ministry of Agriculture would publish an annual report on the results of inspections.
6. The bill would set fines of up to €2,000 for minor offenses, between €2,001 and €60,000 for serious ones, and between €60,001 and €500,000 for very serious ones. The autonomous communities could raise these limits.

Who it affects

• Food production, processing and distribution companies: They would need a prevention plan, follow the priority order, and sign agreements to donate surplus food.
• Restaurants and bars: They would have to let customers take leftover food home at no extra cost and say so on the menu.
• Food banks and social organizations: They would have to guarantee traceability, keep food hygienic, and distribute without discrimination, with no selling allowed.
• Public authorities: They would run awareness campaigns, publish good practice guides, carry out inspections, and issue an annual report.
• Consumers: They could take home uneaten restaurant food and would receive information and training against food waste.

Words worth knowing

Jerarquía de prioridades (priority order)

A mandatory order for deciding what to do with leftover food: donate it first, then process it, then use it for animal feed, and finally recycle it.

Trazabilidad (traceability)

Being able to track a food item from receipt to delivery through records.

Consumo preferente (best-before date)

The date until which a product keeps its best quality; after it, the food may still be safe to eat, unlike the use-by date.

It summarizes the text passed by the full Congreso. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries