Waste not, want not: why French diners are learning to love their leftovers

Doggy bags are so alien to restaurants in France that there isn't even a word for them. But a new law designed to cut food wastage means restaurateurs must provide customers with takeaway boxes

The French have never done "le doggy bag''. They eat what is on their restaurant plate or it goes straight in the bin.

Until now, that is. This year, we can expect to see more Gallic diners clutching what is left of their steak-frites in colourful bags as they leave their favourite eaterie, because a law that came into effect on 1 January now forces restaurants to provide containers for uneaten grub as part of a campaign to cut food waste.