Uncertainty in the industry over the application of food waste regulations
Hostelería de España and the Confederación Española de Hoteles y Alojamientos Turísticos (CEHAT) have expressed deep concern about the approval in the Congress of Deputies of the law on the prevention of food waste and food waste. They denounce the lack of information and the fact that the amendments introduced by the Senate have not been approved.
This regulation, which directly affects the operations of the hospitality industry by forcing the donation of its surpluses, has followed a parliamentary process;mite parliamentary whose result, as pointed out by both employers, as of today, "the final result is unknown and there is no information on how the rule has been.
CEHAT and Hostelería de España denounce that the fact that they have not been taken into consideration in Congress many of the amendments approved in the Senate is causing a discordance; causing great concern in the hotel and lodging sector, as they do not know how they will operate in the future and how it will affect their responsibilities as companies that serve meals to the public.
Hostelería de España and CEHAT had requested in the Senate that technical and content modifications be incorporated, including:
-Relativize the obligation to comply with the hierarchy of priorities. For example, if a restaurant or hotel has no one nearby to donate to, it can give it away for the creation of biomass.
-Relativize the obligation to sign agreements for the donation of elements.
-That, in case of donation, it is the donor agent who establishes the conditions to ensure the traceability of the delivery and exempt it from liability.
-Exoneration of liability on the part of the establishment that delivers the surplus food, once it is made available to the third party.
-Graduation of sanctions and the possibility of subsidizing the infringing action without entailing a sanction during the sanctioning procedure.
The employers of the sector warn that these and other examples are causing great concern in all establishments serving meals to the public and that it is necessary an urgent clarification to finally know what has been approved and if there will be specific regulations later to adapt them to the daily operation of the catering establishments.
Both business organizations have contacted the political decision-makers without having obtained a concrete response as to whether what was approved in the Senate has been rejected in its entirety in Congress or whether, on the contrary, any modification of the proposals has been taken into consideration.
The hospitality and accommodation sector in Spain is made up of more than 350,000 companies, with 90% of them being SMEs and micro-SMEs, the hallmark of Spain's brand identity and the basis of our country's tourism success.