Italy is set to pass a law that
will make supermarkets donate their waste food to charities.
It will become the second
European country to pass such laws after the French introduced a bill in
February which bans supermarket throwing away or spoiling unsold
food.
The bill has received
widespread bipartisan support and is expected to pass the lower house of the
parliament on Monday before a final vote in the Senate of the Republic.
Unlike France, which fines
supermarkets found wasting food, Italy wants to give businesses incentives
to donate food and help tackle the country's €12bn waste problem.
At the moment - any
Italian bar, restaurant or supermarket looking to donate food must declare
donations in advance.
The new law would instead
offer reductions in rubbish taxes, which would vary depending on how
much businesses give to charity, The Local reports.
In addition, 17 articles in the
bill look to amend food safety regulation allowing businesses to donate food
after its 'best before' date is expired.
Italy's Agriculture Minister,
Maurizio Martina, told La Republica: "We are making it more convenient for
companies to donate than to waste.
"We currently recover 550
million tonnes of excess food each year but we want to arrive at one billion in
2016."
The cause for cutting food
waste has been gaining momentum across Europe.
The French politician Arash
Derambarsh, who is trying to pass EU-wide legislation that will force supermarkets
to give away waste food, has previously told The
Independent: "The problem is simple – we have food going to waste and
poor people who are going hungry".