Situation on Food Waste in the Czech Republic

National strategies on food waste prevention

Pursuant to Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 19 November 2008 on Waste, the Member States are required to set up their national Waste prevention programmes. The Waste Management Plan of the Czech Republic for the period 2015-2024 defines waste prevention and reduction of specific waste production as a major strategic goal. The principles for achieving this objective include the implementation of "waste prevention programmes" and the implementation of the waste management hierarchy.
The CR Waste management programme presents a more detailed analysis and overview of the following waste streams:

• municipal waste;
• biodegradable waste;
• ​food waste and foods;
• waste and end-of-life products based on product specifications (packaging, electrical equipment, batteries and storage batteries, end-of-life vehicles);
• ​construction wastes/building materials;
• textile waste/textiles earmarked for re-use.
  

At the first stage of the Programme the absence of analytic and methodological instruments will
be addressed. 

Market-based instruments 

Law on a methodological change in VAT calculation (Zákon č. 235/2004 Sb. Zákon o dani z přidané hodnoty):
Description: The General Directorate of Finance issued a methodological change in VAT calculation: At the end of 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture agreed with the Ministry of Finance on the methodological change, which will allow the taxable amount of donated food close to be zero or completely zero. Until then a 15% VAT applied for donated food. This has implications on food (re-) distribution. 

Regulations and regulatory instruments

1. Legislation with (potential) implications on food waste generation
   
   • Decree no. 299/2003 Coll. on measures for prevention and control of diseases and diseases transmissible from animals to humans. (Vyhláška č. 299/2003 Sb., o opatřeních pro předcházení a zdolávání nákaz a nemocí přenosných ze zvířat na člověka).
     Description: § 58 of this Decree prohibits the feeding of gastro-waste.
     
   • Law No. 110/1997 on food and tobacco products and Decree No. 113/2005 Coll. regulating the labelling of foodstuff (Zákon č. 110/1997 Sb. Zákon o potravinách a tabákových výrobcích a o změně a doplnění některých souvisejících zákonů, Vyhláška č. 113/2005 Sb., o způsobu označování potravin a tabákových výrobků):
     
     

Description: The labelling of foodstuffs is regulated by Law No. 110/1997 and Decree No. 113/2005. Foods placed on the market must be safe and healthy, and must not mislead the consumer regarding the composition, labelling, etc. These Acts specify that:

• Food with an "expiration date" cannot be put into circulation as at the time of exceeding this date the food is considered "dangerous".
  
• Food with a "best before date" may be marketed even past this date, assuming it is safe and is marked as such.
  

Decree No. 137/2004 Coll., on hygienic requirements for catering services and on principles of personal and operational hygiene in epidemiologically important activities (Vyhláška č. 137/2004 Sb. o hygienických požadavcích na stravovací služby a o zásadách osobní a provozní hygieny při činnostech epidemiologicky závažných):
Description: This Decree regulates:

• Obligations of companies operating with cooked food: Obligation to comply with sensory, physical, chemical and microbiological requirements on food quality; to observe all stages of production, packaging, slicing or otherwise cutting and putting food on the market; technological and sanitary requirements; methods and conditions of transport, storage and handling of food.
  
• Conditions for putting cooked food into circulation: Food not given out within its time-limit cannot longer be stored, re-heated or put in the refrigerator or freezer; hot dishes are put into circulation in order to reach the consumer as soon as possible and above 60°C.
  
• Labelling of semi-finished meals, convenience foods, confectionery and cooked meals: Specific requirements of labelling applies to refrigerated or frozen meals, packaged cold dishes and pastries when put into circulation. Among others, the expiration date or best before date, the storage temperature, and in the case of refrigerated and frozen meals, also information on the method of heating are stated.
  
• Storage and serving of food at refrigerator temperatures: After heat treatment or, if no heat process is applied then final preparation, food must be quickly cooled to a temperature which does not cause a health hazard.
  
• ​Law on animal feed Act 91/1996 Coll. (Zákon o krmivech č. 91/1996 Sb.):
  

Description: In Section 3 para. (6) this regulation says: "For the production of animal feed, additives and premixes it is not allowed to use prohibited substances and products, animal feed and premixes that contain prohibited substances and products." Prohibited substances include, pursuant to Decree No. 451/2000 Coll., Annex 1, para. 7 also "waste from restaurant operations except for plant-based foods, which with regard to their freshness cannot be considered fit for human consumption." 

Legislation addressing food waste management 

2. Government Regulation 352/2014 Coll., on Waste Management Plan of the Czech Republic for the period 2015-2024 (2. Nařízení vlády 352/2014 Sb., o Plánu odpadového hospodářství České republiky pro období 2015-2024 (POH)):
Description: In this Waste Management Plan waste prevention and reduction of waste production are defined as major strategic goals. The principles for achieving this objective include the implementation of "waste prevention programmes" and the implementation of the waste management hierarchy.
Regarding municipal waste, point 1.3.1.1 of this Regulation lit. f) contains the obligation for municipalities to follow the waste hierarchy, preferably by separately collecting recyclable fractions. Only if that is not possible, it can be delivered for disposal. Lit. g) makes it necessary for municipalities to inform citizens at least once a year on the municipal waste management, especially on the manner and extent of separate collection of municipal waste and management of other wastes within the municipal system. That includes also information on how to prevent and minimize the generation of municipal waste. At least once a year, a municipality must publish quantified results of their waste management.

• Amendment to the Waste Act regarding bio-waste collection No. 229/2014 Coll. (Novela zákona o odpadech č. 229/2014 Sb.):
  Description: This law regulates the separate collection of bio-waste. Section 17, paragraph 3, stipulates that municipalities are obligated to provide designated collection spaces for all municipal waste produced by physical persons within its cadastral territory. The municipality is obliged to provide space for separate gathering of the components of municipal waste: hazardous waste, paper, plastics, glass, metal and biodegradable waste.
  
• Decree No. 294/2005 Coll. regarding bio-waste in landfills (Vyhláška č. 294/2005 Sb., o podmínkách ukládání odpadů na skládky a jejich využívání na povrchu terénu a změně vyhlášky č. 383/2001 Sb., o podrobnostech nakládání s odpady):
  Description: This Decree (implementing the EU Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC) prohibits depositing biologically degradable waste (BDW) to landfills. It regulates that biologically degradable municipal waste (BDMW) can be deposited to landfills, but the amount must be reduced in accordance with the timetable for reducing the amount of BDMW in mixed municipal waste.
  
• Laws on on garbage disposal units (grinders) (Zákon o vodách č. 254/2001 Sb., Zákon o vodovodech a kanalizacích č. 274/2001 Sb.):
  Description: This regulation forbids the use of garbage disposal units (grinders) for canteens. The discharge of residues from canteens with grinders, even crushed, is in conflict with the Water Act no. 254/2001 Coll., Section 38, para. 1 and Act on Water Supply and Sewerage no. 274/2001 Coll., § 18, para. 2.
  
• Law on waste No. 185/2001 Coll. (Zákon č. 185/2001 Sb. Zákon o odpadech a o změně některých dalších zákonů):
  Description: In this act, §9a defines the waste hierarchy and §10 stipulates the obligation of everyone to prevent waste. It also governs the fee for municipal together with the Tax Code Act No. 280 / 2009 Sb. The fee for the operation of the system for collection, transportation, sorting, use and disposal of municipal waste is determined in the Law on local fees No. 565/1990 Coll. (Zákon č. 565/1990 Sb., o místních poplatcích). As residents have to pay for the bio-waste collection the same as for other waste streams, thus, bio-waste waste collection is not fostered by this fee structure. 
  

Legislation actively addressing food waste reduction 

In the Czech Republic, there is no legislation specifically addressing food waste reduction. 

Legislation addressing food (re-)distribution 

Law no. 180/2016 Coll. amending the Bill No. 110/1997 on foodstuffs and tobacco products (Zákon č. 180/2016 Sb., kterým se mění zákon č. 110/1997 Sb., o potravinách a tabákových výrobcích a o změně a doplnění některých souvisejících zákonů, ve znění pozdějších předpisů, a další související zákony):
The Bill on food and tobacco products contains strict hygiene rules and requirements for safety and quality in the output, production and storage of food and meals. Act no. 180/2016 Coll. introduces in § 11 the obligation of donating food to charitable organizations for stores of over 400 square meters. It applies only to foods that do not meet certain legislative requirements (e.g. foodstuffs that are mislabelled or deformed). Donated food must be safe and not harmful. Expected to enter into force in 2018. 

Local legal conditions for the selected urban areas 

Prague
The amendment to the Waste Act (Act No. 229/2014 Coll.), Section 17, paragraph 3, stipulates that municipalities are obligated to provide designated collection places for all municipal waste including biodegradable waste. According to this new regulation, municipalities are obliged to provide space for the separate collection of at least biological waste of plant origin, at least in the period from 1 April to 31 October of the calendar year. How the system of collecting bio-waste is designed is up to municipalities themselves. Several options exist: Organic waste can be collected by providing composter units (bins in public places provided by disposal companies) or public collection yards with special bins. For treating the collected bio-waste composting system managed by the municipality might be established.
In urban area Prague, citizens have the possibility to bring their organic waste to public collection yards with special high-volume containers for bio-waste or to bring it to mobile collection points with bio-waste containers. Mobile collection points are certain places designated by the municipality for collection of bio-waste on certain dates. After these dates, the containers are removed. However, all these options are mainly for bulk green/garden waste and are not suitable for food waste collection. Citizens can also order a separate bio-waste bin between April and October or for the whole calendar year for a fee.
For the urban area Prague the fee for municipal waste is regulated in the “Generally binding Decree No.2 / 2005 Coll., Prague” (Obecně závazná vyhláška č.2/2005 Sb., hl. m. Prahy). Citizens have to pay for the collection of bio-waste the same as for other waste streams, thus, separate bio-waste waste collection is not supported by the fee structure. 

Voluntary agreements 

Some retailers and producers donate food (mostly packaged highly processed foods and to a lesser extent also vegetables and fruits) that was not sold to regional Food Banks. Among the donors are for example: Globus, Tesco, Albert (Ahold), Makro, Unilever, Nestle, Ferero CZ, Danone, Vitana, Meagle, Lagris podravka, Douwe egberts. 

Find initiatives to reducefoodwaste here