Food waste: now it's the restaurants' turn to take action
Professionals in the catering and commercial food service industries can now showcase their efforts to combat food waste thanks to a new national label launched by the Ministry for Ecological Transition with expertise from AFNOR.
Food safety
Every year in France, nearly 9 million tons of food waste ends up in the trash, or 129 kg per person, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. All stages of the food chain contribute to this, with 17% of the total coming from the restaurant industry alone in 2022. The good news is that the restaurant industry can now commit to more sustainable food and show it with a label! The restaurant section complements the section launched in 2023 for distribution, which already has 147 certified establishments.
The criteria for the catering label are compiled in two recently published standards: AFNOR Spec 2304 and 2316, the first for restaurants and the second for preparation units, such as central kitchens. These practical guides define specific criteria and clear indicators (grams of food left on the plate per cover, best practices, purchasing policy, etc.), with three levels of commitment (1, 2, or 3 stars). A label will be awarded for three years and will be valid for a single establishment. You can watch the replay of the presentation webinar organized on September 18, 2025, by the AFNOR Members' Club.
The standards are the result of work led by AFNOR and developed with stakeholders (ministries, restaurateurs, associations, etc.) since 2023. Assessments will be carried out by approved certification bodies, on site at the applicant establishment. AFNOR Certification, a subsidiary of the AFNOR group, has obtained ministerial approval to be one of these operators until 2030, as it already is for committed distributors. Objective: to
halve food waste in fifteen years This initiative is in
line with the national objectives set by the AGEC law of 2020 (Anti-Waste and Circular Economy), to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025 in distribution and collective catering compared to 2015, and then by 50% by 2030 in production, processing, commercial catering, and household consumption. The label is part of a landscape that has also included, since September 2025, the Sustainable Market label, developed by the Rungis International Market to highlight the ecological efforts of wholesale markets. This label is distributed by AFNOR Certification. Professionals in the
sector can take the initiative further by joining the AFNOR Anti-gaspi standardization commission. This is particularly relevant given that the French standard is set to inspire a future international standard, ISO 20001, which will be a certifiable management standard.
