1 . France is fighting food waste with firm determination. A new law has been passed in the country that will ban grocery stores from throwing away unsold food. If it’s still safe to eat, the food must be donated to charity; if not, it goes to farmers for use as animal feed.
Supermarkets will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold food by intention in order to prevent people from eating it. There are many people who forage for food in dumpsters behind stores, wanting to take advantage of the perfectly safe food that gets thrown away on a daily basis. Food waste is a global problem. It is reported that the average French person throws out 20 to 30 kilograms of food a year — 7 kg of which is still in its wrapping.
Not everyone is happy about the new legislation.
A group of food foragers stated their concerns in an open letter: “Food waste is a deep problem.” They are worried that it creates the illusion of doing one’s part — a “false and dangerous idea of a magic solution” — while failing to address the deeper reasons for such waste.
“The fight against food waste is everyone’s business, but we can’t win it unless we completely change the structures within our food system that are responsible for this waste.”
The supermarkets aren’t pleased because their food waste represents only 5 to 10 percent of the 7.1 million tons of food wasted annually in France. By contrast, restaurants waste 15 percent and consumers 67 percent. “The law is wrong in both target and intent,” argues Jacques Creyssel, head of the distribution organization for big supermarkets. “Big stores are already the major food donors.”
Despite the naysayers, France’s new law is a move in the right direction. Wasting food absolutely needs to become a socially abhorrent thing to do. If legislation is what’s needed to get people thinking about conservation, then it’s not a bad thing.
1. What should we do about unsafe food that is unsold in grocery stores?A.Sell it at a discount. | B.Donate it to charity. |
C.Use it as animal feed. | D.Destroy it on purpose. |
A.They are greatly concerned about the law. |
B.They have addressed the main cause of such waste. |
C.They want to change the structures of our food system. |
D.They think fighting against food waste is their business. |
A.About 1 million tons. | B.About 4 million tons. |
C.About 5 million tons. | D.About 7.1 million tons. |
A.Critical. | B.Indifferent. | C.Supportive. | D.Disappointed. |