Luis Planas: Spain's food waste law is a model for raising awareness of the value of food

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, attends the High Level Ministerial Panel "Preventing Food and Water Waste - Protecting Our Future" held in Istanbul

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has presented the Spanish model of sustainable food as a strategic priority of the Government of Spain. Planas stressed that the Food Loss and Waste Prevention Act, passed in April this year, "is a model for raising awareness throughout society of the value of food". A pioneering law "focused on prevention, awareness and training of all actors in the food chain," the minister pointed out.

Luis Planas participated in the High Level Ministerial Panel "Preventing Food and Water Waste - Protecting Our Future" in Istanbul, organised by the Zero Waste Foundation and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, together with ministers from 15 countries from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In his speech, Planas explained that Spain has consolidated a food model recognised for its quality, safety and innovation, "but also for its capacity to adapt to the challenges of the 21st century".

In this respect, he highlighted the National Food Strategy (ENA), presented this year by the president of the Government of Spain, which constitutes the first comprehensive long-term framework to guide agri-food and fisheries policies towards a more sustainable, competitive and healthy system.

Planas recalled that reducing food waste is a key pillar of this strategy. In 2024, Spain wasted a total of 1.125 billion kilos of food. This represents a reduction of 4.4% compared to 2023 and a cumulative decrease of almost 20% since 2020.

"Food waste is an environmentally, economically and ethically unsustainable practice," the minister said. "No food is more expensive than food that ends up in the rubbish, especially when people are suffering from hunger or malnutrition."

Planas also stressed that Spain is convinced that international cooperation is key to guaranteeing a secure, sustainable and prosperous food future. "No country can meet the food challenges of the 21st century alone. That is why we put our experience and knowledge at the disposal of the international community," the minister said.

He also stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns, such as "Nothing is thrown away here", which aim to make households and catering establishments active agents of change, while encouraging responsible and more conscious consumption.

Non official translation