Anti-waste law: what institutional catering needs to know in 2025
- Jabu
- Nov 4
- 5 min read
Every day in France, more than 32,000 tons of food are wasted . That's nearly 10 million tons per year , according to ADEME. This scourge spares no link in the food chain, and certainly not institutional catering , where overproduction is structural.
Faced with this ecological, economic and social emergency, the legislature has taken a stand. Passed in 2020, the AGEC law (Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy), described as a “green revolution”, now imposes obligations on thousands of stakeholders, particularly regarding waste reduction.
Its ambition? To halve food waste in institutional catering by 2025 , and by 2030 for the rest of the supply chain. As of April 2025, there are only seven months left before several major regulations come into effect, particularly in institutional catering.
Discover the often overlooked effects of food waste in our article: The hidden side of food waste: what we don't see behind a thrown plate .
But what exactly does this law say? Who is affected? And above all, how can we act without delay to comply with the regulations, avoid penalties, and turn the obligation into a strategic lever?
What is the anti-waste law we're talking about?
The fight against food waste in France began legally with the Garot Law , enacted in 2016. It prohibited supermarkets from throwing away food that was still edible. A first step.
But it was the AGEC law , passed on February 10, 2020 , that marked a decisive turning point. This legislation now structures the most comprehensive regulatory framework, extending well beyond distribution alone. It targets all sectors of the food chain, from production to final consumption.
Key objective: to reduce food waste by 50% compared to 2015 levels. And this, with differentiated deadlines depending on the sector: from the end of 2025 for collective catering (school, hospital, company), and by 2030 for the agri-food industries, processing or distribution.
It is therefore no longer a question of intentions but of measurable results , accompanied by an increasingly demanding compliance framework.
What does this anti-waste law contain?
Often reduced to its “anti-waste” dimension, the AGEC law is actually part of a much broader vision of ecological transition.
It is based on five main pillars:
gradually move away from single-use plastics.
better inform consumers,
to combat all forms of waste,
to take action against planned obsolescence,
encourage the reuse of resources.
In the food sector, it requires establishments serving more than 3,000 meals per day to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the food waste generated , define a concrete action plan, and above all, make the most of what can be reused : through donation, processing, or resale at low prices. The destruction of still-consumable food is now strictly regulated, and even prohibited in certain cases [Légifrance – Environmental Code, article L541-15-5] .
In addition, ADEME provides a free diagnostic tool to help the organizations concerned assess themselves. But let's be clear: the diagnosis alone is no longer sufficient . With seven months to go before the deadline, what will matter are the evidence of impact, the operational plans, and the ability to demonstrate an effective reduction in losses.
Who is affected by the anti-waste law?
One of the major contributions of the AGEC law is that it has broadened the scope of the actors involved. It is no longer just a matter of holding large retail chains accountable, but rather the entire food chain , from producers to local authorities and including institutional catering establishments.
School canteens, hospitals, company restaurants, and nursing homes are on the front line. They must all now not only limit waste, but also be able to measure it and justify their progress.
In France, institutional catering accounts for nearly 3.7 billion meals served annually . According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 10% of these meals are never consumed due to a lack of planning or proper management. This equates to 370,000 tons of food wasted each year , nearly a third of which comes directly from meals that are never served. These staggering figures explain why the legislation is primarily targeting this sector.
Anti-waste law: seven months from deadline
The AGEC law does not set a distant target: it imposes concrete results by the end of 2025. For collective catering establishments, it is no longer a question of preparing for a transformation, but of demonstrating that it is already underway — and above all, that it is effective.
The regulatory framework is becoming stricter. Several changes are expected by December:
the publication of the AFNOR XP X50-291 standard on food waste management,
the implementation of mechanisms to promote exemplary institutions, as announced in the national strategy, or even,
the strengthening of environmental criteria in public tenders, in accordance with the State's responsible purchasing policy, as detailed in the Guide to Sustainable Public Procurement of the Legal Affairs Directorate (DAJ), which requires the systematic integration of environmental criteria in public contracts.
In this context, we can reasonably anticipate an intensification of controls by territorial authorities and agencies such as ADEME.
In short, the time for raising awareness is behind us . What is now expected from stakeholders are plans, data, and results . It is no longer simply a matter of avoiding a sanction: it is about not missing out on a structural transformation , which affects budgets, image, and the very meaning of the service mission.
To implement effective waste reduction strategies, particularly in institutional catering, explore our practical guide: Five simple strategies for sustainable food management in institutional restaurants .
How Jabu helps establishments achieve compliance (and beyond)
In practical terms, how can we reduce overproduction when we don't know how many guests will be present and what they will eat? This is precisely the problem that Jabu decided to solve.
By combining predictive artificial intelligence and real-time user feedback , our AI-powered anti-waste solution makes it possible to anticipate crowds, streamline production, and engage guests in a virtuous circle of sobriety.
In just a few weeks, our AI is able to achieve up to 95% accuracy in its visitor forecasts. This predictive capability allows for an immediate reduction in overproduction, potentially reaching 50% in some cases.
But Jabu is not limited to optimization: we also provide monitoring indicators, audit-ready reports , a visualization of waste avoided in number of meals, in euros and in carbon footprint, as well as a user-friendly application allowing users to vote on their menus or express their feedback.
In a test carried out in five colleges, over a period of only 25 days, 8,800 meals were saved , representing 1.7 tonnes of food , more than €226,000 in projected savings and a reduction of 8.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent .
Request your demo here .
2025: Turning the deadline into a strategic lever
The approach of the end of the year is not inevitable. It is a window of opportunity for those who wish to do better, provided they act now.
With seven months to go, there is still time to:
Perform or update a compliant diagnosis
Choose a solution tailored to the specific needs of each site
Train field teams in these new reflexes
Assess the initial impacts as soon as the school year begins.
Produce tangible reports by the end of the year
This timeline is not simple. But it is realistic if decisions are made immediately.
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