Parliament passes law aiming to cut food waste in Romania

A bill aimed at stopping food waste in Romania passed the Parliament on Tuesday, February 20. According to the law, consumers will be able to benefit from reduced prices on food before the expiration date, and the procedure for NGOs to receive food that is not highly perishable will be simplified.

According to USR, a national platform will also be created for reporting food waste data, managed by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Moreover, under the new legislation, shops, restaurants, canteens, or authorities that also manage food will be required to apply at least two of the measures listed in the law before throwing food in the trash. Thus, for example, they will have to reduce the price of food close to expiration, donate what they no longer sell, or turn it into compost or pet food.

“2.55 million tons of food are lost annually in Romania, which could reach, for example, the thousands of children who still go to bed hungry every day. Fighting food waste turns food that would otherwise end up in landfills into resources,” said USR MP Diana Buzoianu, co-initiator of the project.

One of the law’s main objectives is to comply with the targets assumed by Romania at the international level: the halving of food waste per capita by the year 2030, USR said in the press release. Studies have shown that between 30% and 50% of the food that Romanians buy ends up in the trash every month.

To enter into force, the bill also has to be signed into law by president Klaus Iohannis.

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