Expired food in the trash can of a house. Aitor Sol
In Spain, 1.2 million tons of food was wasted last year, 8.6% less than the previous year. This means that every Spaniard threw away on average just over 28 kilos of food, particularly sauces, frozen meats and vegetables, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Waste Report accessed by EL PAÍS. Luis Planas’ department believes that the reduction compared to 2020 has to do with a change in habits, the increase in food prices and greater awareness, among other things. The government plans to pass the Loss and Food Waste Prevention Act later this year, which will penalize bars, restaurants or supermarkets that don’t have a plan to prevent food from ending up in the dumpster.
Every year, agriculture updates data on food waste from surveys of 4,000 citizens. The latest report shows that citizens do not use 3.8% of the total food and drink they buy to consume both inside and outside the home, a number slightly lower than last year (3.9% ). This data only considers the end users, but there are also losses in other phases of the chain, from production and collection, transport, industry, distribution… Adding all these figures, various studies conclude that almost a third of the world’s food is lost. In fact, a UN report last year estimated that around 17% of food is wasted, even if losses in production and transport are not counted.
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Ministry data shows that three out of four households (about 13.18 million) continue to throw food and drink in the bin, and only 26% never do so. The products that go to waste the most are frozen meat (16.7%), sauces (15.9%) and legumes (12%), followed by fruit (7.3%) and juices (5.9%) ). Meanwhile, the main meals are the moments of greatest waste away from home: 42% of the total is produced during lunch and 21% during dinner.
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In any case, the per capita consumption of consumers has decreased in 2021 (from 30.93 kilos per person to 28.21). Farmers attribute this improvement to a change in habits compared to the first year of the pandemic, as more flexible working was allowed both inside and outside the home. Additionally, the department believes that rising commodity prices have resulted in a higher perceived value of meals, while increased awareness has led to more efficient planning, all of which has resulted in less food waste.
Minister Luis Planas reminds that the ministry is preparing a law to prevent food loss and waste – expected to come into force in early 2023 – that will help reduce these numbers. “In line with the government’s main lines of social justice, environmental protection and economic growth, tackling food waste is an ethical imperative that must involve all of society from production to final consumption,” he stresses.
This future regulation will force all actors in the food chain to develop a prevention plan to avoid waste and envisage penalties of up to 60,000 euros for bars, restaurants or supermarkets that do not comply with this legislation. These avoidance plans must prioritize the use of food before it goes to landfill. The priority, the ministry explains, should be human consumption through donations to entities such as food banks. Companies are obliged to sign agreements with the recipient organizations, which specify the conditions of collection, storage and transport. If the food cannot be delivered for human consumption, it must be converted into other products such as juices or jams. The third option is that they serve as animal feed. The final uses that the plan must detail are the production of industrial by-products and recycling to produce compost or fuel.
According to Planas, the fight against food waste is “a social benefit, especially in times like the present, in which food has become more expensive due to rising energy and raw material costs”. In his opinion, “it is now more necessary than ever to take measures that prevent the waste of natural and energy resources that are invested in food production, and we also avoid creating more waste with the consequent impact on the environment, as well as trivialization avoiding work farmers, ranchers and fishermen.
The minister believes that the future regulation “seeks to steer production towards a more efficient, smarter and more circular economy system and to raise awareness of more responsible consumption” because “there is no food more expensive than that one that will be thrown away”.
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