Mayor obliges supermarkets to donate their food surplus
Type of practice Reuse for food
Name of practice Mayor obliges supermarkets to donate their food surplus
Name of main actor Herstal Municipality
Type of actor(s) Public authority, Company
Location Belgium
Stage of implementation Retail
Year of implementation 2012
What was/is being done? The Mayor of the small municipality of
Herstal, Belgium, has added a condition
for supermarkets to receive an environmental
permit. The condition obliges
them to donate their surplus food to food
banks. If they refuse or fail to comply, their
environmental permit would be withdrawn.
Outcomes and impacts This made people aware of the
enormous quantities of food wasted
daily in every supermarket. The initiative
has been welcomed by most supermarkets
of the municipality.