Bakers Outraged by Daily Waste: “Back in the Day, We Didn’t Do This”

Are our bakeries and pastry shops not eco-friendly enough? For a long time, reducing food waste has been a significant challenge in this industry. A study by Ademe in 2016 revealed that 12.5% of all bread produced was discarded, with 60% of that being destroyed, equating to roughly 5 to 20 kg of food waste per week. Fortunately, advancements in data management and the use of apps like Phenix or Too Good To Go are gradually helping to curb this issue.

Despite these commendable efforts, there remains a particular practice that deeply annoys eco-conscious bakers, like Sylvie, who has run the “De Belles Manières” bakery in Paris for 10 years. “Back in the day, we didn’t do this, and we didn’t even use paper when I started,” she explains. “Is it really necessary to put each baguette in a separate bag?” she questions angrily in an interview with @le.media.food. Sylvie, who offers around sixty different types of bread sold “by the slice,” is frustrated by the sheer amount of waste produced by this hygiene-focused habit: “Just think about how many bags we throw away each day after eating a baguette… I refuse!” she asserts strongly. She suggests perhaps we could revert to just using a small piece of paper, which is enough to handle the bread without touching it. “We didn’t even sell paper when I started…” she recalls.

So, when will we see the return of the bread bag? Possibly very soon. Starting January 1, 2025, all packaging used by bakers, from pastry boxes to bags for pastries and the famous baguette paper, will be taxed. This move is intended to encourage bakery owners to reduce their environmental impact. Sylvie will likely welcome this change, but it generally causes discontent among a profession already burdened with high expenses and struggling with the rising costs of raw materials. The tax, estimated at 75 cents per transaction as mentioned by Franceinfo, will help fund the development of selective sorting and recycling efforts.

French bakeries are beginning their transition. After tackling food waste, the next battle is against packaging. It’s a significant challenge, but the movement has begun: reduce, reuse, rethink. Perhaps the real appeal of tomorrow’s bread will be its greener footprint.