The deputy delegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, participated this afternoon in the closing of the conference “Zero Waste. Sustainability and Food Sovereignty”, organized by the Union of Consumers of Galicia – UCGAL.
The subdelegate noted the Government’s commitment to zero waste policies, which are embodied in the draft Food Loss and Waste Prevention Act, which is currently being processed by Parliament. “A text that I would summarize in a very simple and very graphic idea: nothing is thrown here. Turning this statement into a categorical imperative that is based on four pillars: economic efficiency, loss of natural resources, social justice and the ethical component.”
The draft law establishes as one of its priorities a hierarchy of uses, giving priority to human consumption. Thus, it includes the duty to producers and the distribution to donate surplus food that is in conditions of consumption, so food stores of more than 1,300 square meters must sign agreements with food banks or NGOs to donate food that is suitable for consumption.
This standard will also promote the transformation into new products with the aim of using them for animal feed, by-products from another industry or for obtaining compost or biofuels.
Likewise, training and awareness-raising actions will be developed to influence and inform how to prevent this food waste. Because the most expensive food is the one that ends up in the trash. Another aspect in which this new standard will work is in proximity consumption and also in responsible consumption.
The deputy delegate recalled that the Government’s commitment is present in all stages of food production, from the field, with 6.4 billion euros mobilized between the PERTE and various aid to the primary sector, until the moment of purchase, with measures to reduce the impact on families of the price crisis due to inflation and the war in Ukraine such as the reduction of VAT on basic food products or the energy taxes on electricity and gas.
María Rivas stressed that we need consumers who are trained and responsible from a social and environmental point of view to combat this reality, that of food waste, which our society suffers. And he expressed the unequivocal commitment of the Government in this common task, taking the opportunity to congratulate the Union of Consumers of Galicia for the realization of this day.