Since the Revolution of 1789 in France they have always been one step ahead. In food, too. For years there has been a powerful current against waste. And it has a proper name: Nicolás Chabanne. In 2014, this fruit and vegetable distributor came up with the idea of opening stores with the products that the large supermarket chains reject because they are not pretty, they do not offer a good image. Then it was 40% of what reached the market and was thrown away. A brilliant idea that was a resounding success.
Chabanne has many stores in France and his idea has been copied in several European countries. Fruits and vegetables with some tare are sold 30% cheaper than those that reach the shelves of supermarkets. Their motto is “uglier fruits and vegetables, but just as tasty.” It is a winning proposition that benefits the producer, the distributor and the consumer and, of course, the planet. The brand with which Chabanne was launched on the market is very striking “Broken Jaws”, in free translation into Spanish. It refers to what they called the French soldiers of World War I who returned home with serious injuries to the jaw and mouth. And it has remained as an expression coined for what is not too handsome. His proposal has won numerous awards because it means a very important saving for everyone.
Other initiatives against food waste
So much so that now in France many similar initiatives have emerged that reach all corners of the country. For example, in Brittany the “Nous” (We) shops that are going from strength to strength and that in addition to the fruits and vegetables from Chabanne incorporate many other products that are discarded by large supermarkets, from yogurts to drinks, either because they are close to their final date of consumption, either because they cannot absorb a determined stock or for many other reasons.
It is also true that French legislation obliges stores with surfaces of more than 400 square meters to hand over to collaborative or charitable associations that surplus production that they were going to throw away. Last month the large Carrefour supermarkets organized a game in Tiktok for young people and in return they delivered 35 tons of perishable products that they were no longer going to use to help students who had problems eating well because of the pandemic year. In other words, the idea has permeated all corners of society. Also in large companies always jealous of their public repercussion.
According to the calculation of some of the associations that fight against waste, a third of the total production of perishables ends up in the garbage without being used and half of it corresponds to households. It also happens in restaurants, some of which have decided to implement alternative solutions such as apps that sell the remains of dishes that they will no longer use at a more contained price after a certain time. You have to go pick it up and eat it at home, of course. With the same criteria, an application called “too good to throw it away” already works that allows consumers to access, at the end of the day, what will be a waste in their neighborhood from greengrocers, bakeries, restaurants, hotels, etc. Food that is not used, that is passed or that simply does not like and ends up in the landfill. An outrage that in France and other parts of Europe tries to correct itself. And in Spain?
Mario BANGO
Journalist
