Spain’s Congress is set to debate a fresh version of the food waste prevention bill on Thursday. Originating as a popular legislative initiative in the previous session, it stalled due to the general election’s early date. Now, the lower chamber plans to advance the text, potentially bringing it to votes in upcoming plenary sessions as soon as March or early April. Once the procedural steps are cleared, the law could take effect on January 2, 2025, if approved.
The proposal promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food envisions penalties reaching up to half a million euros for the most serious infractions by firms that do not repurpose surplus food. It includes two key obligations: that players in the food supply chain develop a loss and waste prevention plan, and that large consumer-facing companies sign agreements with nonprofit entities to donate excess food. If surplus food cannot be redirected for human consumption, the priority destinations are animal feed, followed by the production of organic fertilizers and energy.
Today, about one third of all food produced worldwide ends up as waste. In 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture estimated household waste at roughly 1.4 kilograms per person per week. Fruits, vegetables, and dairy made up about half of the fresh items discarded unhappily, while prepared or cooked foods saw soups, creams, legumes, and stews as the most wasted categories. The same analysis highlighted a notable seasonal trend: summer sees considerably higher waste.
Waste is not solely a domestic concern. The forthcoming law focuses much more on distribution chains, small retailers, and hospitality venues, which are the areas where repurposing food faces the biggest hurdles today. Between farm production and the point of sale, about 14% of the produced food is lost, according to FAO data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Provisions already familiar in the bill include giving restaurants the option to offer leftover meals for takeaway, using food-grade, reusable, or easily recyclable containers while minimizing single-use plastics.
In the case of retail establishments, the proposal also requires lines of sale for imperfect or non-perfectly aesthetic products, promotion of seasonal and locally sourced foods, ecological and sustainable options, and improved information on food recovery efforts. The text emphasizes that these measures aim to reduce waste across the entire supply chain, from producer to consumer, while encouraging more sustainable consumption habits.