Spain leading by example

However, Spain has risen to the occasion during the pandemic. Yes mistakes have been made, as they have elsewhere around the world, but the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, made it clear at the Socialist party conference over the weekend that one of the party and his government’s priorities is going to be solving society’s ills, especially those which have been exacerbated by Covid such as unemployment and poverty.

And, amongst a raft of plans to tackle such problems is one which has been staring us all in the face for years.

The government has introduced a new draft law to minimise food waste, forcing shops to sell ugly fruit and vegetables.

The cabinet has given the green light to a white paper to combat food waste, making sure that shops promote the sale of “ugly, imperfect or unsightly” products that are ripe and ready for consumption, as well as to encourage sales of local, organic and bulk foods.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, last year Spanish households threw away more than 1,300 million kilos of uneaten food - much to the detriment of food banks and other needy bodies.

Now, it appears that is all going to change and for the better.