Italy has begun to tackle its problem of food waste with a series of incentives to change behaviour.
The country is estimated to waste some five million tonnes a food every year. A new law adopted by its parliament on Tuesday aims to save about 1 million of those tonnes by judicious use of “doggy bags”.
The new law has relaxed some of the bureaucracy, making it easier for companies and farmers to donate food to charities.
The law, which was passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, clarified that food pasts its sell-by date may still be donated and allows farmers to transfer unsold produce to charities at no extra cost. The law also opens the door for companies to donate mislabelled food if there is no safety risk.
A simple monthly form has been introduced for donors to note what they have given. Generous tax reductions on waste tax are granted in line with the amounts given awa.
The legislation comes six months after France passed regulations forcing supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities, backed up by stiff fines for failure to do so.
A €1 million campaign will see the Italian government push restaurants to provide so-called 'family bags' so that diners can take their unfinished food home. Traditionally, few people ever ask to take home the remains of their meal.
Italy's Agriculture Ministry will invest €1 million to research effective packaging for food to boost shelf-life, while state broadcaster RAI will embark on a public information campaign to get citizens to waste less food.
According to a UN specialist agency, as much as one-third of all food produced globally is wasted, with the problem being particularly acute in Europe where such waste could be as high as 50% of all food brought into homes.
At the same time, an estimated 10 million Italians are living in relative poverty. The food redistribution charity Pasto Buono said the new law could see millions fed for free every day. At the moment, it said, it provides just 0.5 million meals a year.
