Things are moving quickly in one Frenchman’s campaign to eliminate food waste by supermarkets.
On Wednesday the European Parliament will consider a proposal for the retail food sector to distribute their unsold products to charitable associations.
The French government in May passed a law banning large food markets from destroying food and giving unsold products nearing their sell-by dates to charities instead.
The initiative came from Arash Derambarsh, a local councilor in Courbevoie, northwest of Paris. He said he was confident the amended law would be approved and that individual member states would be encouraged to follow the example set in France.
“This is such an important issue and we have to work fast before the food lobbies get together and start opposing us,” he said.
“I set a deadline of getting the law passed in France and Europe within a year, and we’re six months in, so we’re doing well. After that, it’s the world.”
If the law is approved, Derambarsh said it would go before the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, who would decide if and when it should be applied.
Derambarsh, 35, started campaigning by collecting unsold food from his local supermarket and then distributing it to people in need. Since October he and his team have been working with their local Carrefour.
“In Courbevoie we collect 40kg of unsold food worth around €500 and help 100 people. Imagine what that translates to on a European level. With this law we can bring immediate relief to the poor and hungry,” he said.
Good food being thrown out or destroyed with bleach was “scandalous and utterly absurd”, he added.
“It’s true that these kind of issues are normally associated with socialist politicians, but when it comes to thirst and hunger, there should be no political divide. These issues cut across national and political lines. It’s something we can all agree on.
In France, an estimated 7.1m tonnes of food is destroyed every year – 67% by consumers, 15% by restaurants and 11% by shops. The figure for food waste across the EU is 89m tonnes, while an estimated 1.3bn tonnes are wasted worldwide.
