This year, France became the first country in the world to force food outlets to stop deliberately spoiling food that could still be safely consumed by people.

It is widespread practice. Around the globe, especially in the developed world, the practice of deliberately spoiling food that is still fit for consumption, but not allowed to be on the shelves is widespread.

Investigations established that the major food chains were the worst, even going as far as pouring bleach over foodstuffs to stop homeless people or food kitchens from claiming it and using it. The reasoning was that the food was not looked at as food, it was looked at as property and the owners had the right to do whatever they wanted to it.

But France has passed a law that now prevents that. The food must be given to charities, or food kitchens and refugees. In parliament  recently, the government hinted that it would be looking at introducing a similar law in Malta.

Charities in Malta do a lot for people who are in need. But we still have laws that do not allow hotels, for example, to give their leftovers (and there’s a lot) to people who might need it. This includes shelters for battered wives, orphanages, animal shelters, refugees, people under the poverty line and many others.

Some might turn their nose up at the idea. But we have to ask, what is wrong with it? There is nothing wrong with the food. It has not spoiled and only minutes before, it was sitting in buffet dishes which were deemed fine for four or five star holidaymakers. We need a shift in mindset.

Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted. Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).

When we look at those figures, we begin to realise the sheer waste of food that goes on in the world. The biggest crime of it all is that we have already gone past earth overshoot day a month or so ago. Earth overshoot day is the day when we consume more resources – including food – that the earth can provide in a year without incurring losses, such as natural fish stock.

Figures released by the NSO show that we spent a whopping €557 million on food in 2014. About one third of that is wasted. We really ought to get our priorities right. We have become a throwaway society, but can we really afford to be doing it when people are hungry, in our own backyard?

Both political parties ought to consult on the matter and come up with a law which will be of benefit of those who need it.