France has become the first country to ban supermarkets from throwing away unsold food. Legislators passed the law in February. The law requires supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities and food banks. If supermarkets do not obey the law, they face a $4,000 fine. The new law is part of France’s efforts to rethink consumption practices. Each year, France throws away about 7 million tons of food. That is one-fifth of the amount of food bought each year. Along with individual consumers, restaurants and stores add to the food waste. Other European countries are also making efforts to reduce food waste. In Denmark, a new “waste” supermarket has opened, where customers can buy surplus - or leftover - food for cheaper prices. Arash Derambarsh is a municipal councilor in a Paris suburb. He started a petition for parliament to adopt the supermarket food waste law.