Food waste regulations: what already applies in France and what will come into effect by 2030
In September 2025, the European Parliament adopted new binding targets for reducing food waste for all Member States by 2030. A major step, which adds to an already structuring French regulatory framework — Garot law, EGAlim law, AGEC law, Climate and Resilience law.
For those involved in institutional catering—local authorities, catering companies, and healthcare facilities—the question is no longer whether the regulations will apply. They already do, in several respects, and they will be strengthened.
This article summarizes what is in effect today, what is coming tomorrow, and what this means in concrete terms for your organization.
In short: what the regulations say
- France has set a target of reducing food waste in institutional catering by 50% by 2025 compared to the 2015 level (AGEC law, article 11).
- Europe is now imposing binding and measurable targets to be achieved by December 31, 2030.
- Measuring waste, sorting biowaste and donating food are legal obligations, not optional good practices.
- The ability to demonstrate an effective reduction is becoming a central issue: for tenders, audits and CSR reporting.
This is already the case in France
France has a legislative framework, gradually developed since 2015, based on four major pieces of legislation. Here is what is currently in force for institutional catering.
The Garot Law (2016): Laying the foundations
The law of February 11, 2016, concerning the fight against food waste, established a hierarchy of actions : prevention first, recovery second (donation, processing, animal feed, composting, methanization). It also prohibited the deliberate destruction of still-consumable food.
Source: Law No. 2016-138 of February 11, 2016 — Legifrance
The EGAlim law (2018) and its implementing decree (2019): concrete obligations
The EGAlim law of October 30, 2018 and the ordinance of October 21, 2019 extended and clarified the obligations for all collective catering, public and private:
- Anti-waste measures are mandatory for all catering operators since October 21, 2019.
- Mandatory diagnosis of food waste before October 21, 2020 for all collective catering.
- Mandatory food donation agreement for kitchens preparing more than 3,000 meals per day, to be offered to an authorized association.
- Prohibition against rendering unfit for consumption foodstuffs that are still edible.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture — EGAlim measures in institutional catering
The AGEC law (2020): setting the course
The law relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy of February 10, 2020 clarified the legal definition of food waste and set the national objective:
Reduce food waste by 50% by 2025 compared to 2015 levels in the areas of food distribution and institutional catering, and by 50% by 2030 in consumption, production, processing and commercial catering.
Source: Ministry of Ecological Transition — Food waste
The Climate and Resilience Law (2021): strengthening requirements
The law of August 22, 2021 on combating climate change has supplemented the system, notably by introducing the experimentation of meal reservation to limit overproduction in school catering.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture — French anti-waste laws
What's coming by 2030: the European directive
On September 9, 2025, the European Parliament adopted the revision of the framework directive on waste, which introduces for the first time binding targets for reducing food waste at national level.
The specific targets to be achieved by December 31, 2030
- – 10 % in the processing and manufacturing of food products
- – 30% per capita combined in retail trade, catering, food services and households
These targets are calculated in relation to the annual average of food waste generated between 2021 and 2023.
Source: European Parliament — Adoption of the new rules, September 2025
What this means in practical terms
For Member States, and therefore for actors on the ground in France, these binding objectives mean three things:
- The measurement of waste must be standardized, regular and comparable over time.
- Economic operators with a significant role should facilitate the donation of unsold food products fit for consumption.
- The results must be demonstrable in relation to a 2021-2023 baseline.
Source: Council of the European Union — Food waste
Who is affected and by what?
School catering
Local authorities and school administrators are subject to all EGAlim and AGEC obligations: anti-waste initiatives, assessments, donation agreements (for meals exceeding 3,000 per day), and sorting of bio-waste. The national target of a 50% reduction by 2025 applies directly to this sector.
Catering companies (CSC)
Data collection agencies (DCAs) must not only comply with site-specific regulations but also be able to produce consolidated and reliable data for their clients and in the context of public tenders. Traceability and the demonstration of results are becoming key drivers of competitive differentiation.
CSR Department
Integrating food waste data into non-financial reports is an increasing requirement. The reliability, traceability, and comparability of measurements over time are essential to meet audits and transparency obligations.
General services and site managers
The implementation of source separation of biowaste is a widespread obligation. It implies an operational organization of sorting, appropriate collection and recovery in dedicated channels.
The official platform: ma-cantine.agriculture.gouv.fr
The Ministry of Agriculture has developed the platform ma-cantine.agriculture.gouv.fr, the official tool for monitoring EGAlim obligations for stakeholders in the collective catering sector. It notably allows:
- to carry out a self-assessment of compliance,
- to declare its supply data (annual online declaration mandatory since January 2025 for private company catering as well),
- to monitor its waste indicators.
FAQ — Food waste regulations
Is my establishment affected by the EGAlim law?
Yes, if you manage a catering service – school, healthcare, social care, business, university. The obligation to implement anti-waste measures has applied to all public and private catering operators since October 2019.
Is a waste diagnosis really mandatory?
Yes. The order of October 21, 2019 (issued pursuant to the EGAlim law) made the assessment mandatory for all institutional catering establishments. It had to be completed before October 21, 2020.
Is a food donation agreement mandatory?
It is mandatory for operators preparing more than 3,000 meals per day. For others, it is strongly encouraged. In all cases, the donation must be traceable and comply with health regulations.
How to demonstrate compliance during a tender or audit?
By having regular measurement data, comparable over time and derived from a stable methodology. This is precisely what European regulations reinforce with the obligation to measure against a 2021-2023 baseline.
What concrete changes will the 2025 European directive bring?
It makes reduction targets binding at the national level — which was not the case until now. This means that France will have to demonstrate an effective 30% reduction in the restaurant sector by 2030, using a methodology common to all Member States.
Conclusion: From compliance to performance
The anti-waste regulations mark a profound change in logic: we move from an obligation of means (putting in place a process) to an obligation of results (demonstrating a measurable reduction).
For those involved in institutional catering, this presents both a constraint and an opportunity. A constraint, because without reliable data, it will be impossible to prove compliance. An opportunity, because organizations that measure and manage their food waste are better positioned to optimize their costs, respond to calls for tenders, and demonstrate their commitment to elected officials, families, and their clients.
The question is no longer whether to act. It is how to structure an approach capable of producing reliable, regular and usable data today and tomorrow.
