France outlaws food waste

France has become the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from discarding or destroying unsold food. Instead, they now must donate it all to charities and food banks. The law was passed unanimously by the French senate after a grassroots campaign by French shoppers and anti-poverty activists.

The law requires food banks and charities to collect and stock donated food in properly hygienic conditions and distribute it "with dignity." This means food must be given out at a proper food bank or center where human contact and conversation is fostered, rather than, for example, simply organized as a hand-out on the street. The law has been welcomed by food banks, and campaigners now hope to persuade all EU member nations to adopt similar legislation.