Unit 10 of 10
Preventing food loss and waste
What Law 1/2025 says
Law 1/2025 on the prevention of food loss and waste obliges businesses in the food chain, including hotels, bars and restaurants, to have a waste prevention plan and to apply a hierarchy of priorities for food that is not sold or not eaten.
The hierarchy of priorities
- Human consumption: make use of the food (process it, reuse it) and, if not, donate it to social organisations.
- Processing into other products (juices, jams…).
- Animal feed and feed manufacturing.
- Industrial uses (compost, biofuels).
- As a last resort, disposal as waste.
Obligations in bars, restaurants and canteens
- Allow customers to take away what they have not eaten, at no extra cost and in suitable containers (except in all-you-can-eat buffets), and inform them of this visibly.
- Have the prevention plan and work with donation organisations whenever possible.
- Train staff in good practices to reduce waste.
Good practice in the kitchen
- Buy according to real consumption and rotate the store (FIFO).
- Keep an eye on dates and use first what expires first.
- Adjust portions and offer half portions.
- Use trimmings and leftovers in new preparations, always safely.
- Measure how much is thrown away and why: what is not measured cannot be improved.
Food safety and donation
Donating or reusing food can never break the rules of the previous units: keep the cold chain, respect use-by dates, label and record. Donated food has to be as safe as food that is sold.
This is the end of the course. You can now take the exam: 10 questions, one per unit. If you do not pass, you can retake it as many times as you like.