The #StopFoodWaste campaign resulted in a French law that obligates supermarkets to donate unsold food, saving more than 10 million meals per year from the landfill and increasing food donations to social aid organisations by over 22%.
SUPERMARKETS WASTE FOOD
Although more than 80 million people live below the poverty line in Europe and often struggle to feed their families, every supermarket in the European Union still throws away more than 40kg of food each night. To address this problem, the #StopFoodWaste campaign had a simple proposal: a national law encouraging supermarkets to donate unsold food rather than discarding it.
UNSOLD FOOD IS DONATED
Passed on February 3, 2016, the new law seeks to tackle food waste by obliging all French supermarkets to give away their unsold food and distribute it to those in need, ensuring that nothing is wasted. Supermarkets are free to support the aid association or charity of their choice, and every citizen can apply to create an authorised association to assist in food distribution.
MILLIONS OF MEALS SAVED FROM LANDFILL
The law has saved more than 10 million meals each year from the landfill, and resulted in a more than 22% increase in food donations to social aid organisations. By raising awareness about the issue of food waste at the municipal level, the project has also mobilised volunteers and streamlined the process of distributing food donations through associated organisations. Building on these successes, the campaign now seeks to expand to the rest of the EU.
