Valuing anti-waste dispensers. This is what the Ministry of Ecological Transition wants to achieve. “As of March 3, retailers will be able to obtain the anti-waste label based on the waste and waste reduction performance they put in place,” says the government. Its aim is to promote the players in the food chain who contribute to the objectives set by the anti-waste law of February 2020, namely a 50% reduction in waste in food distribution between 2015 and 2025.
An easily identifiable logo
The label will be awarded by certifying bodies approved by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion. The first sector concerned is distribution, in particular large and medium-sized stores, wholesalers and catering trades (butchers, bakers, greengrocers, etc.), whose stores and establishments can be individually labeled using common criteria.
The logo is intended to be easily identifiable. Labeled stores will be able to affix the label’s logo to their storefronts, which will be accompanied by a star to « l’engagement » in the process, two for ” mastery “ or a third to attest to its character “exemplary”, between 80% and 90% of waste avoided.
An initiative favorable to all
“The criteria were defined with great care. As distributors do not calculate their share of waste in the same way, we had to find a way to account for it by not penalizing any party more than the other, explains Clément Carreau, public relations manager for Phenix, a French company that supports mass distribution in its waste reduction process. It is not a question of punishing the distributors but of pushing them to opt for more exemplary conduct. »
This virtue bonus promotes the communication made by labeled brands to consumers. “It will inevitably encourage competitors to push their efforts to be too”, according to Clément Carreau, for whom this type of approach can be “beneficial for distributors, since the cost of removing products thrown in the trash increases drastically”.
Defined with Afnor
The score obtained by the distributors depends on the actions undertaken: donations to associations helping the poor; logistics put in place to identify products approaching expiry date; promotion to customers through price reductions or anti-waste baskets.
The criteria for the label were defined with Afnor, the French Association for Standardization. “Our mission was to bring together all the players in the sector and bring out the best possible practices”, explains Perrine Leroy, project manager at Afnor.
16 billion euros of food waste
In France, food losses and waste represent 10 million tonnes of products per year, representing a commercial value estimated at 16 billion euros. “This waste represents an unnecessary withdrawal of natural resources, such as farmland and water, and greenhouse gas emissions that could be avoided, emphasizes the government. All stages of the food chain, production, processing, distribution and consumption, are concerned. » A study by Ademe, the ecological transition agency, shows that losses and waste amount to 14% during the distribution phase.
“After the distribution, the objective of the label will be to reward collective and commercial catering, advances Perrine Leroy. We also plan to work with food manufacturers».