It 's a dog-eat-dog world out there , as French restaurateurs have discovered . A report to the French government is urging eateries and customers to embrace 'le doggy bag ' in a bid to reduce the staggering amount of food thrown away each year . Socialist MP Guillaume Garot , the author of the study , said while the popular US practice was previously 'unthinkable ' for snooty diners and chefs , a change in attitudes could save France up to €20 billion ( £14 billion ) a year . French diners have previously seen doggy bags - popular in America and the UK - as 'embarrassing ' , but one MP has said increasing their use would stop the country wasting huge amounts of food . Chefs in France have treated takeaway bags with contempt , seeing them as 'degrading ' towards their dishes . The MP has put forward 36 proposals including promoting 'doggy bags ' , which allow customers to bring their leftover meal home with them , as a way of stopping the rampant food waste in France , a report in The Daily Telegraph says . Throwing still-edible food away , the study continues , costs the average French household €400 ( £285 ) a year . Mr Garot accepts that there is a cultural obstacle stopping diners asking for takeaway bags , with proud chefs seeing it as 'degrading ' towards their carefully-crafted dishes . But the scale of the food wastage problem in France means something must be done to stop the 'almost automatic ' habit of waiters and cooks throwing away leftover food , he adds . Throwing away still-edible food is costing the country up to €20 billion each year , the MP 's study has found . A UN report found 1.3 billion tons of food was wasted globally each year , the equivalent of a third of food produced . Cash-strapped France is attempting to save money after its position in the Eurozone worsened considerably in 2014 , a year that saw higher unemployment , an increase in the public deficit and a decrease in investment . French start-up company TakeAway told the newspaper introduced the 'doggy bags ' - or 'le gourmet bag ' , as one union boss has suggested calling them - is considered ' a bit embarrassing ' . But a recent poll revealed that 75 per cent of French diners would consider making the most of the bags to enjoy the rest of their dinner later on .
Chefs should embrace 'le doggy bag ' to stop edible food going in the bin . Food waste costs average French household hundreds of pounds a year . Popular practice was previously 'unthinkable ' for French food lovers .