Spain’s new food waste prevention law officially comes into force this Friday, mandating that large supermarkets and food chain businesses implement plans to reduce discarded food. The legislation seeks to eliminate scenes common in Barcelona, where people often collect unsold items from street bins.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
The law, published a year ago, requires food chain companies to apply strategies for reducing, reusing, or recycling food waste. This obligation applies to all businesses with an area exceeding 1,300 square metres, whether individually or under a single tax identification code. These entities must design new documents to identify critical points of food loss and establish measures to minimise them.
Juan Ángel Martín, Director General of Comerso, a company facilitating food donations between supermarkets and charities, welcomed the change. He stated, “The regulation marks a before and after; it brings order where there was none before.” Martín also noted that affected sectors are “still in a phase of awareness.”
New Regulations for Food Businesses
The primary goal of the new legislation is prevention. Once preventive measures are exhausted, the law prioritises the donation or redistribution of food for human consumption. If this is not possible, businesses must then allocate the food for animal feed or manufacturing. Only as a last resort, after exhausting all other options, can food waste be used for compost production or incineration to generate energy.
The requirement to develop a prevention plan extends to food chains, manufacturers, suppliers, hospitality venues, restaurants, public administrations, and non-profit organisations. Martín highlighted the importance of the sanctioning regime, which comes into effect a year after the law’s publication. He believes it will help prevent waste due to “the fear of sanctions, as well as their reputational consequences.”
Sanctions and Enforcement Details
Martín further explained the enforcement mechanism. He said, “If tomorrow morning a photo emerges of a specific supermarket with people collecting food from the rubbish, any autonomous community will have an obligation to sanction it.” The law outlines a clear penalty structure for non-compliance. Minor infractions, such as failing to donate products to foundations and instead wasting them, can result in warnings or fines up to €2,000.
More serious infractions, like not having a prevention and reduction plan, carry fines up to €60,000. In severe cases involving repeated offences, penalties can reach up to €500,000. Nuria de Pedraza, an expert from the Association of Large Consumer Companies in Spain and Director of the La Alimentación no tiene Desperdicio project, indicated that the exact application of the sanctioning regime is still pending clarity. She noted, “Each autonomous community will decide how inspections will be carried out,” and, crucially, “from which department, as the current wording can lead to unequal interpretations of the law.”
Industry Reactions and Future Steps
De Pedraza confirmed that meetings are taking place between autonomous communities and the Spanish Government. These discussions aim “to try and agree on minimum common instructions” for consistent implementation. Anna Peña, spokesperson for the Rezero foundation, dedicated to waste reduction, praised the mandatory plans for companies. She commented that “often too much blame has been placed on citizens” in past waste prevention campaigns or for incorrect selective separation.
However, Peña also cautioned that the application of waste management policies “often depends on the will of the actors involved.” Ignacio García, Director General of Asedas, a leading association for food distribution and supermarkets in Spain, affirmed, “We share the objectives of the law.” García stated that the distribution sector already produces minimal food waste. He added, “We do not foresee any problems in applying the law in the sector. All distribution companies have a culture of donation implemented for many years.”
This new legislation represents a significant step towards a more sustainable food system in Spain. Its effective implementation will require ongoing collaboration between government bodies, businesses, and consumer groups to ensure a tangible reduction in food waste across cities like Barcelona and beyond.
Come and join our Barcelona English Speakers community on WhatsApp.
Originally published by La Vanguardia Catalonia. Read original article.
