By Steve Suwannarat
SINGAPORE – Singapore’s parliament has approved a law to reduce food waste and encourage food donation.
In a consumer society that generates high levels of waste, the measure is not only useful but also ethical. Under the new legislation, donors who hitherto risked lawsuits will now be protected.
The Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill targets individuals and organisations that give food for free if they meet four conditions: the food must be safe and suitable when delivered, it must come with instructions for the recipient to keep it suitable for consumption, it must include the time limit for consumption, and it must show all reasonable steps taken by the donor to comply with food safety and hygiene rules.
These points are important because, if donors comply with the law, they are protected from lawsuits in case problems arise from consuming donated food.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will remain in charge of food safety, and donors will only have to meet the four conditions and be relieved of other paper work.
The law comes with two important exceptions, namely food exchanges between individuals as part of interpersonal relationships, like between friends and coworkers, and food provided by employers to resident domestic staff.
The law is designed to stop restaurants and caterers from throwing away edible food out of concern over liability issues.
Food waste in Singapore is huge, some 750,000 tonnes per year, against 1.6 million tonnes of imported food consumed per year.
It is thus a major economic issue, since food accounts for 11 per cent of the country’s total waste, a large burden to be disposed of, but also a major cost in terms of energy and water used to produce the food.
The new law will increase efficiency in disposing of the food provided, whether out of solidarity or need, by donors. – Asia News
