With the start of the action week against food waste, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is pushing for further steps, such as the legalization of "dumpster diving" (Containern). "We cannot constantly discuss security of supply and at the same time stand idly by and watch this massive food waste," said Esra Limbacher, Deputy Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, to the "Rheinische Post" on Monday. "It must no longer be cheaper for supermarkets to throw away food than to donate it."
The criminalization of dumpster diving – the rescue of discarded food from trash containers – is "no longer contemporary." Limbacher demanded a new initiative to legalize dumpster diving. "Every rescued food item is a valuable contribution to resource conservation and social justice." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out on Monday in Berlin that decriminalization is not provided for in the coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD. However, the federal states are free to launch their own initiative.
Most recently, at the beginning of 2023, the then Ministers of Agriculture and Justice, Cem Özdemir (Greens) and Marco Buschmann (FDP), launched an initiative to abolish penalties for dumpster diving in most cases and called this a "building block in the fight against food waste."
The German Food Retail Association (BVLH) speaks out against such initiatives. BVLH Managing Director Philipp Hennerkes emphasized that the debate over dumpster diving is about liability issues. "In the end, the food retail trade must not be the party responsible if people injure themselves while searching for food in the containers on the company's premises or suffer physical harm from consuming goods that are no longer in proper condition." Hennerkes continued that the containers are also located on the companies' premises, and unauthorized entry must remain prohibited.
The "Too Good for the Bin" action week by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture aims to draw attention to food waste and motivate sustainable behavior. According to the Ministry, a total of around 10.8 million tonnes of food waste were disposed of in Germany in 2022 – including inedible items like coffee grounds or some fruit peels, in addition to leftover food or unsold groceries.
The BVLH pointed out that the retail sector only contributes seven percent of the total volume and will continue to improve its systems with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). "At the same time, efforts must be focused on private households, where the largest mass of food is thrown away," Hennerkes explained. Indeed, according to official statistics, private households are responsible for 58 percent of the waste.
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