Food distribution companies and restaurants in Hego Euskal Herria will be punished if they do not deliver the food they have left without selling. On Thursday, the Spanish Congress of Deputies will discuss the law on the prevention of food waste.

The new regulation proposes a hierarchy of priorities with the possibilities for companies not to lose comida.Prioriza free food donation. Restaurants will, for example, be obliged to supply uneaten food to their customers free of charge, for which they must have reusable or easily recyclable packaging. In addition, they will be asked to be more flexible when choosing menus so customers can decide on supplies or the size of dishes.

Fines of up to half a million

Companies that fail to comply with the law will be punished. Infringements are classified as minor (up to EUR 2,000), serious (between EUR 2,000 and EUR 60,000) and very serious (up to EUR 500,000). It will be a minor offence, for example, not to give surplus food or not to give surpluses to people in vulnerable situations. Among the serious ones is discrimination in the distribution of food. Two serious infringements are considered to have been committed in two years.