Özdemir steps up on the subject of cheap meat - and calls the container rule "absurd"

Created: 01/01/2022, 9:04 pm

From: Kai Hartwig

Cem Özdemir wants to abolish the criminality of containers.

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

Food Minister Özdemir has declared war on cheap meat.

As a result, he does not fear social injustice.

Something should also change with containers.

Berlin - The title of the coalition agreement between the Ampel parties is “Dare to make more progress”.

In addition, the SPD, Greens and FDP refer to themselves in the agreement as an “alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability”.

Apparently the government around Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to fill these words with life.

Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, has now explained the first plans for a more sustainable use of food.

For the Green politician, this also includes turning away from cheap meat.

That is why Özdemir recently went on a confrontation course with discounters.

He tried to allay the concern that increased meat prices would not be financially viable for every German citizen.

Food Minister Özdemir: "Everyone should still be able to afford meat"

“Everyone should still be able to afford meat. It shouldn't be a luxury item, ”he told the

. But one also has an obligation to do justice to members of the agricultural industry. “For me, social justice also begins with the workers in the slaughterhouses, whose minimum wages we will finally raise. And it's about our farmers who, like everyone else, have to be able to make a living from their work. "

Animal husbandry must be improved overall, said Özdemir.

In addition, the former Green Party leader wants to loosen the legal and tax framework for food donations in the future.

"Especially in retail, it is about making donations easier so that not so much is thrown away," said the Minister of Food to the

.

"For this, questions of liability and tax law need to be clarified," said Özdemir, "the fear of civil law suits is an obstacle for many companies."

Containers in Germany punishable - Özdemir: "I think that's pretty absurd"

He wants to make it more attractive for retailers to donate food instead of simply throwing it away.

One possibility is to omit the sales tax on food donations even in the event that the goods were incorrectly labeled.

"We want to reduce food waste in the entire value chain - from the field to the retail trade," continued Özdemir.

"It has been shown that it is not enough to rely on voluntary agreements, as the previous government did."

In the fight against the throwaway mentality, the Minister of Food would also like to tackle the criminality of containers.

So far it has been a criminal offense to take discarded (often still edible) food out of supermarket waste containers.

"I think that's pretty absurd," said Özdemir.

Despite the ban, containers are quite widespread in Germany among poor people, but also among many environmentally conscious students.

Supermarket chains such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe or Edeka often try to prevent this in this country.

They fear liability risks, although many federal states often turn a blind eye when people are caught loading containers.

On the other hand, several female students from Bavaria who had been caught failed with their complaint to the Constitutional Court in 2020.

The young women had resisted a criminal conviction for theft - without success.