The draft legislation outlines requirements for supermarkets and restaurants to reduce the amount of food they throw away , and the penalties businesses will face if they fail to limit their food waste .
The plans include forcing bars and restaurants to offer customers free takeaway containers for any leftovers and for supermarkets to reduce the price of foods that are approaching their ‘ best before date ’. Medium to large businesses involved in the food industry will also have to outline their own plans to prevent food waste .
Systems will also be put in place to deliver unsold food to charities and food banks and to direct products that are no longer fit for human consumption towards animal feed or fertilisers and biofuel production .
Under the new legislation , domestic food waste , which far outweighs waste from other areas , will be tackled through educational campaigns to try and change behaviours at home .
According to government data , Spain wastes 1.36 million tonnes of food and drink each year , which equates to approximately 31 kilograms per person .
The Government hopes the new law will be passed in parliament and fully introduced by early 2023 .
España está más cerca de luchar contra el desperdicio de alimentos
El pasado mes de junio se aprobó un proyecto de ley para luchar contra el desperdicio de alimentos en España .
El proyecto de ley establece requisitos para que los supermercados y restaurantes reduzcan la cantidad de alimentos que tiran a la basura , así como las sanciones a las que se enfrentarán las empresas que no limiten el desperdicio de alimentos .
Los planes incluyen obligar a los bares y restaurantes a ofrecer a los clientes envases gratuitos para llevar las sobras y a los supermercados a reducir el precio de los alimentos que se acerquen a su « fecha de consumo preferente ». Las medianas y grandes empresas del sector alimentario también tendrán que elaborar sus propios planes para evitar el desperdicio de alimentos .
También se establecerán sistemas para entregar los alimentos no vendidos a organizaciones benéficas y bancos de alimentos y para destinar los productos que ya no son aptos para el consumo humano a la alimentación animal o a la producción de fertilizantes y biocombustibles .
Con la nueva legislación , el despilfarro doméstico de alimentos , que supera con creces el de otros ámbitos , se abordará mediante campañas educativas para intentar cambiar los comportamientos en el hogar .
Según datos del Gobierno , España desperdicia 1,36 millones de toneladas de alimentos y bebidas al año , lo que equivale a unos 31 kilogramos por persona .
El Gobierno espera que la nueva ley se apruebe en el Parlamento y se implante completamente a principios de 2023 .
FIRST MEETING OF THE GIBRALTAR NET ZERO DELIVERY BODY
The Gibraltar Government announced the first meeting of the Gibraltar Net Zero Delivery Body ( NZDB ) was held virtually in early July following the publication of the Climate Change Strategy at the end of last year . The purpose of the NZDB is to take the strategy into its implementation stage .
Deputy Chief Minister , Dr Joseph Garcia , chaired the first meeting , with the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister for Transport also participating , together with nearly twenty officials .
The group approved draft regulations establishing the NZDB and individual members responded to recommendations made by the Climate Change Committee for their respective organisations .
The NZDB also agreed to establish three priority working groups . Each group will have definite targets to achieve by specific dates to ensure progress towards the overall decarbonisation agenda . The groups are : - Electric vehicle infrastructure development . - Cross-government data and reporting processes . - Renewable energy generation . Other core areas to be targeted include a public engagement strategy , green finance , and climate adaptation and resilience .
The Deputy Chief Minister thanked all for attending , acknowledging both the amount of work already done in developing the Climate Change Strate-
20 OTWO 37 / AUGUST 2022