Supermarkets forced to give unsold food to charity under news laws aimed at reducing waste in France

France's national assembly has vowed a crusade on food waste in the country by passing a law that will stop supermarkets destroying unsold food.

Instead chains will have to donate the old food to charities or find a use for it somewhere else.

France's parliament voted unanimously for the law proposed by former Food Minister Guillaime Garot.

The Socialist Party deputy was quoted by the Guardian as saying saying it was scandalous to see bleach poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods.

The legislation bans supermarkets from purposely destroying left-over food.

Supermarkets with a footprint of 400 square metres or more will have to sign contracts with charities and organisations to make provision for the food or face fines.

The plan is one in a raft of measures to halve food waste in the country by 2025.

Estimates by French officials indicate that individuals waste about 20-30kg of food each year which equates to roughly €20 billion (NZ$30 billion).

An educational programme will also be introduced into schools and businesses to better inform the French public about food under the new law.

In February authorities in the country removed best-before labels on fresh foods to stop them being thrown away prematurely.

France's federation for commerce and distribution which advocates on behalf of supermarkets has criticised the plan.

The organisation's head said the law was misguided.

He said larger chains were responsible for only five per cent of food wasted in France and that they were already overwhelmingly the largest doners.

He added that 4,500 of the shops had already made agreements with aid groups.

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- Daily Mail