LEGARDA FILES BILL TO HELP THE HUNGRY AND REDUCE FOOD WASTAGE

Four-term Senator Loren Legarda recognizes the country’s severe problem with food security and the rising issue of food wastage.

“In a recent Social Weather Station survey, approximately 3.1 million Filipinos or 12.2% of the country’s total population experienced hunger during the first quarter of 2022,” Legarda explained.

She further elaborated on statistics from the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021, in which “each household in the country wastes around 9,334,477 tons of food annually.”

To resolve these issues, Legarda filed Senate Bill 240 or the Zero Food Waste Act of 2022. The measure intends for the country to adopt a system that promotes food waste reduction through redistribution and recycling. The measure also seeks to task specific government agencies to undertake the National Zero Food Waste Campaign and raise awareness of these issues and construct a Food-related Business Waste Reduction Strategy and a Household and Local Government Unit Waste Reduction Strategy.

Senate President Pro Tempore Legarda believes this bill will significantly help the hungry and reduce food wastage in the country.

“Our country is rich in food resources, yet millions of Filipinos cannot afford three meals a day. The excess edible supply of food must be highlighted and utilized in order to feed the millions of hungry Filipinos. This would help alleviate not only the problem of food security but also food waste,” Legarda concluded.####