Law created with the aim of reduce food waste. It applies only to outlets that serve 180+ meals a day.
From Jan 1 2016, France’s lawmakers have ensured that restaurants break their centuries-old uptightness and provide doggy bags to customers who ask for them.
With the aim of cutting down the rampant food waste in France, the new law states that all restaurants that serve more than 180 meals a day will have to provide doggy bags to customers who want to take leftover food home with them.
Taking leftovers home from restaurants is not nearly as common a practice in France as it is in India and may parts of the world. Lawmakers are hoping this new rule will do something to help cut down on food waste.
An estimated 7.7 tons of food is wasted in France every year. Not all of that is wasted by leftovers on restaurant plates, of course, but France hopes that letting people take leftovers home in doggy bags will at least make some difference in reducing that amount.