The Congress of Deputies has recently approved the Food Loss and Waste Prevention Law, an important milestone in the pursuit of a more efficient, fair and environmentally responsible food system.
This regulation seeks to significantly reduce food waste throughout the entire chain, from production to consumption, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
What changes with this law?
The law establishes a series of mandatory measures to combat food waste at different levels:
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🛒 Supermarkets and shops must prioritise donating unsold products that remain fit to eat.
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🍽️ Bars and restaurants must offer free, recyclable containers so customers can take uneaten food away.
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🥕 The sale of “imperfect” products is encouraged, including produce with cosmetic or size imperfections, reducing the rejection of food that remains perfectly usable.
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🌾 Companies in the agri-food sector must prepare prevention plans and prioritise keeping food within the human food chain.
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♻️ Food not suitable for human consumption should preferably be used for animal feed, composting or industrial purposes.
What are the limitations?
Although this law represents a necessary advance, there are aspects that raise doubts or leave room for improvement:
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🔍 Lack of specificity on some key points, such as the criteria for deciding what counts as ‘avoidable’ or ‘usable’, which may make the law harder to apply in practice.
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📊 Lack of clear and homogeneous measurement tools to evaluate the real impact of the measures adopted.
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🧩 Limited control and inspection capacity, which could lead to undetected non-compliance, especially in small establishments or rural areas.
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👩🌾 Little attention to the structural origin of waste, including farm-gate prices, contract terms for producers and overproduction driven by the market.
A collective opportunity
Beyond legal measures, this law must be understood as a call to collective action. Consumers, producers, businesses, administrations and social entities have the opportunity to redefine our relationship with food. Because Behind every wasted food there are natural resources, human work and opportunities for solidarity.
From our space, we support all initiatives that promote conscious and responsible consumption. We will closely follow the evolution of this law and its actual application on a day-to-day basis.