Food Waste Hero Changed the French Law – Receives the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award

With persistent work and an unfaltering commitment to the cause, he managed to make the French government pass a law prohibiting French supermarkets and restaurants from throwing away useable food. Instead of the food being discarded as in the past, it is now collected by charity organisations or so-called food banks and given to the poor. Arash Derambarsh is this year’s winner of the WIN WIN Sustainability Award.

The United Nations has set as a goal to reduce the global wasting of food by 50% by 2030. This goal will not be possible to achieve without both changes in attitudes at the consumer level and large-scale system changes. The new French law will contribute to a more circular food supply chain and is an important step on the path to solving the horribly unfair food waste paradox – that one third of all food produced around the world is wasted at the same time as many people do not have enough food to eat.

Mr Derambarsh, a lawyer and city councilor in the city of Courbevoie, France, became interested in the food waste problem long ago. Thanks to the French food culture, the issue has attracted a great deal of attention in the country. Once he had collected 210 000 signatures in support of his proposal to prohibit supermarkets and other food outlets from throwing away edible food products, the issue was addressed in the French parliament, and in February 2016, Derambarsh’s legislative proposal was passed. Arash Derambarsh has now launched a second petition for Europe, which is supported by the French Red Cross, the NGO Action Against Hunger and the United Nations World Food Programme. The petition now exceeds 1.5 million signatures.

“What Arash Derambarsh has done is a great example of how everybody can make a difference at a higher level. His focus is on changing attitudes and elevating the issue of food waste to a legislative level. The French law puts an end to the enormous wasting of resources that a non-circular food supply leads to, and this makes Arash Derambarsh an important leader and role model”, says Emma Dalväg, chair of the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award committee.

Derambarsh prefers to focus on the effect of the law than on his own role in the creation of it. What really matters, he points out, is that the law benefits people in need.

”It is a great honour for me to receive the WIN WIN Gothenburg Award, but my person does not matter. What is important is the law against food waste that homeless people, people in poverty and the invisible Middle Class can benefit from. I appeal the European Union, as well as every country in the world : Adopt a similar law in your countries to finally put an end to this social, environmental and economic nonsense. In France, thanks to this law, over 10 million meals are distributed annually by charities to people in need. This represents 22% growth of food donation. It is our duty to stop food waste in order to end poverty and fight for our planet” he says.

Arash Derambarsh will receive the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award on 31 October at a ceremony arranged at the Göteborg Opera in Gothenburg. The award committee explains its decision to select Derambarsh for the award as follows:

‘The global food supply is not only critical to our survival but also leaves a huge footprint on the global environment. Moreover, it is at the centre of one of the most difficult global paradoxes the world is facing – that one third of the food produced worldwide is lost or thrown away, at the same time as many people don’t have enough food to eat. The winner of this year’s award has not only brought attention to this difficult paradox and fundamental unfairness, but has also managed to implement measures that will lead to real change. Arash Derambarsh’s ideas, initiative and persistent work to reduce the wasting of food has resulted in a new French law that prohibits French supermarkets and restaurants from throwing away or destroying food products that cannot be sold. The law forces them to instead collaborate with charity organisations or so-called food banks so that the food instead can benefit those in need. According to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the wasting of food along the entire supply chain shall be reduced by 50%. The achievement of this goal will require not only a change in attitudes at the consumer level but also system changes such as the French food waste law. Arash Derambarsh’s efforts have inspired people around the world and have helped to put the issue of food waste on the global agenda. His work shows that it is possible to make a difference and take concrete steps in a sustainable direction when it comes to the wasting of food.’