German ministers urge leniency for taking thrown-out food

BERLIN (AP) — Two German government ministers are calling for authorities to relax the application of rules enabling the prosecution of people who take food that is still fit for consumption from supermarket garbage bins. The practice known in Germany as “containering” counts as theft. The agriculture and justice ministers said Tuesday that they wrote to the justice ministers of Germany’s 16 states to suggest a “practical solution” to the issue. In the highly decentralized country, it is the states that would have the power to make the change. The ministers’ statement noted that around 11 million tons of food are thrown away every year in the country, about 7% of it in the retail sector.