VIDEO. “All the stories behind the products sold here are aberrations,” explains the manager of an anti-waste grocery store

In France, food waste represents 10 million tonnes of products per year, at an estimated cost of 16 billion euros, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. And this despite the Garot law which since 2016 has prohibited supermarkets of more than 400 m2 from throwing away food and requires them to sell or donate their unsold items to associations. Directed by Lionel Baillon, the documentary Food waste, don’t throw it away!, broadcast Tuesday October 31 on France 5, reviews those responsible for this gigantic mess and reveals that this dysfunction concerns every link in the food chain, from producer to consumer. But the film also highlights the numerous initiatives of individuals and professionals who try to reduce this waste.

This is the case of Vincent Justin who decided to create in 2018, with his partner Charles Lottmann, the Nous anti-waste chain, a network of stores bringing together around thirty grocery stores whose shelves are stocked with products purchased at the mass distribution. Foodstuffs that these major brands refuse to market, because they consider them unfit for sale, according to sometimes aberrant criteria, such as a champagne label stuck too low or a Camembert too small.

“What’s incredible is that we can produce so many things that are ultimately destined for the trash. It’s absolutely revolting.”

Vincent Justin, co-founder of WE anti-waste

in the documentary “Food waste, don’t throw it away!”

“Overall, all the products that are here, if we look at the stories behind them, it’s an aberration” exclaims the manager, whose Brands sell these products, which are excluded from traditional circuits, at 30 to 50% less cost. “Very often when people think about anti-waste, they imagine a product that is a little altered, that is a little ugly, that has an expired dateexplains Vincent Justin . It is with this pedagogy that we manage to convince people.”

“We let these products follow their path”

Vincent Justin does not just collect products from other stores, he has also managed to create his own brand by sourcing directly from producers, where waste is often colossal. As in this company which produces and packages nearly 16 million sausages per year for mass distribution. The production director of this factory, Julien Brionnet is proud to be able to put some of his sausages back on the market today which were previously thrown away due to their atypical shapes.

“We’re more on a potato than a traditional sausagesmiles Julien Brionnet in the documentary, but today, we no longer remove them. We let them follow their path to the shelves of WE anti-waste.” While the company threw away around 3.5% of its non-compliant production, thanks to these new types of traders, it only got rid of 2.8% of malformed products. “Distributors try to calibrate everything by thinking that consumers always want the same product. My conviction is that if we explain why this product was saved, there are a good number of consumers who are ready to do effort”concludes Vincent Justin.

The documentary Food waste, don’t throw any more away, directed by Lionel Baillon, is broadcast Tuesday October 31 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5 and on france.tv.