The nation’s major fresh food retailers have over the past year thrown away more than 6,500 tonnes of perishable food, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has said.
The figure has risen significantly since the agency in March last year introduced a regulation requiring hypermarkets and supermarkets with paid-in capital of more than NT$25 million (US$833,667) to report their flow of food waste, it said.
The regulation aims to prevent businesses from selling expired or waste food, it said, adding that from March last year to the end of last month, 6,630.4 tonnes of food has been discarded by 1,273 retailers covered by the regulation.
In the first two months after the regulation took effect, the retailers reported discarding only about 100 tonnes to 200 tonnes of food per month, but that figure soon increased to more than 400 tonnes per month, the EPA said.
Most of the food waste went to pig farms and compost plants, EPA Department of Waste Management Director-General Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩) said, citing online reports submitted by the retailers.
The department would continue to conduct regular checks to ensure that discarded food does not enter the market through illegal channels, she said.
The department is calling on retailers to reduce food waste by offering discounts on perishable items nearing expiration, Lai said.
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