Spanish food-waste law (Ley 1/2025)
The Spanish food-waste law (Ley 1/2025, of 1 April, on prevention of food losses and waste) requires food businesses since 2 April 2025 to prevent, measure and publicly report on food waste. Larger businesses must publish a written prevention plan and face substantial fines for non-compliance.
Who's affected
The law covers the entire food chain – production, distribution, hospitality and retail. Hospitality obligations are tiered: small venues must establish donation priority; larger ones must additionally write and publish a prevention plan. Multi-location groups are assessed as a single entity.
What must be measured
Discarded food quantities must be tracked per service category and reported annually, including reduction targets for the following year. The plan must cover prevention measures in production, purchasing and service – not only donation routes, but also forecast-accuracy improvement.
Connection to forecasting
Better daily forecasting directly reduces mise-en-place waste: tighter per-shift volume planning means less discarded at end-of-service. A measurable 5–7 % reduction over twelve months is a concrete result documentable in the plan – and presentable to authorities.
Difference vs. EU directive
Spain exceeds the EU waste-framework directive minimums, especially on reporting and publication. Other EU countries regulate more loosely; operators active in Spain cannot rely on laxer home-country standards.
Ready for your first recommendation tomorrow morning?
30 minute demo. We'll show you the forecast for your exact venue.