Doggy bags are mandatory: what French law says
The short answer is yes. Since 1 July 2021, restaurants have been legally required to offer a container to any customer who wants to take home food they have not finished. The governing text is the AGEC law of 10 February 2020, on tackling waste and moving to a circular economy.
Article 62 is fleshed out by decree no. 2021-1370, which states that the establishment must make available reusable or recyclable containers, along with any unfinished drinks sold by the bottle. In other words, what is left on the plate or in the carafe no longer goes in the bin by default.
Before that date, the doggy bag was purely a goodwill gesture. Some restaurants already offered it under the name gourmet bag, a scheme launched by the French government in 2014 to cut food waste. It is now a legal obligation, not an option.
Who does this obligation apply to?
Commercial restaurants
Every commercial food service business is covered: traditional restaurants, brasseries, pizzerias, fine-dining establishments, and licensed bars serving meals. Size and number of covers make no difference.
Institutional catering
School canteens, staff restaurants and healthcare facilities fall under the EGalim law. They too must allow diners to take leftovers home.
All-you-can-eat buffets
This is the question that comes up most often on the floor. An all-you-can-eat buffet is not exempt when it comes to what the customer has already served onto their plate. It does not, however, give anyone the right to empty the buffet trays into a container: food that has not been served remains the property of the establishment.
- Restaurants and brasseries: covered
- Licensed bars serving meals: covered
- Takeaway-only outlets: not covered, since the container is already part of the service
- All-you-can-eat buffets: covered for the customer's plate, not for the buffet itself
Should the doggy bag be free or charged for?
The decree refers to making containers available, without authorising any charge. In practice, the position taken by the DGCCRF (France's consumer protection authority) is that the container should be free. A restaurateur charging €1 or €2 per box risks a complaint, especially since that price would then have to appear on the menu.
Many establishments take a middle road: a basic box free of charge, plus a reusable insulated container sold at cost to customers who ask for one. If you charge for anything, it must be clearly stated, exactly like the rest of your price display obligations in a restaurant.
Out of 100 covers served at lunch, two to five customers actually ask for a container. The real cost isn't the box: it's the time spent explaining that it exists.
Which containers to choose for your doggy bags
The law requires reusable or recyclable containers. They must also be food-contact safe, which rules out the spare bakery bag lying around in the kitchen. Here are the four types used on the floor.
| Container | Indicative unit cost | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft cardboard tray | €0.15 to €0.30 | Dry dishes, pizzas, desserts |
| Recyclable plastic box with lid | €0.25 to €0.50 | Dishes in sauce, liquid portions |
| Reusable insulated box | €2 to €5 | Fine dining, regular customers |
| Deposit-return container | €3 to €6 deposit | City-centre establishments |
For a fine-dining restaurant, the insulated box is worth it: it protects the plating and keeps the food fresh longer. For a brasserie turning 120 covers, cardboard remains the sensible choice. Remember to label the container if the dish contains sensitive ingredients, in line with the rules on allergen information in restaurants under Regulation (EU) 1169/2011.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Refusing to provide a container is a fifth-class offence. The fine can reach €1,500 for an individual and €7,500 for a company. Enforcement is handled by the DGCCRF, usually after a complaint has been filed.
What can a customer do if a restaurant refuses? They can point to the legal requirement, then report the establishment on SignalConso. In practice, most refusals come from not knowing the rule rather than from bad faith.
How to offer doggy bags without it eating into your service
The obligation is to make containers available, not to offer one at every table. But a customer who doesn't know the right exists will never ask. The simplest approach is to write it where they are already looking.
- A line at the bottom of the menu: "You are welcome to take home any leftovers — container provided free on request."
- A reminder from the team at the end of service, at tables where food is left over
- A mention alongside your mandatory restaurant notices
A digital menu makes this easier: you add the wording once and it applies everywhere, with nothing to reprint. Same principle as changing a price or the dish of the day.
Doggy bags across Europe: Belgium, Portugal and beyond
France is one of the few countries to have legislated on this. Portugal has required restaurants to provide a container on request since 2020. Belgium has no national obligation: the practice rests on regional anti-food-waste campaigns and on each establishment's own initiative.
At EU level, cutting food waste remains a shared goal, but there is no single binding text. In France, large quantities of perfectly edible food are still thrown away in dining rooms every year. The doggy bag doesn't solve everything, but it costs very little and customers notice it immediately.