The bill would permit food that cannot be legally sold – for example, leftovers from catering companies, restaurants, hotels, wedding halls and food factories, and expired food from groceries that is still safe to consume – to be donated to nonprofits for distribution to poor large families.
Above: Rabbi Moshe Gani, left; Rabbi Uri Maklev, right
Haredi MKs Propose Bill To Indemnify Restaurants, Caterers, And Food Manufacturers To Allow Increased Food Donations
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Members of Knesset Rabbis Uri Maklev and Moshe Gafni of the Ashkenazi haredi United Torah Judaism Party (UTJ) have proposed a bill to reduce the amount of discarded surplus food, Yeshiva World reported.
The bill would permit food that cannot be legally sold – for example, leftovers from catering companies, restaurants, hotels, wedding halls and food factories, and expired food from groceries that is still safe to consume – to be donated to nonprofits for distribution to poor large families.
The MKs envision giving the food to NGOs and they in turn can distribute it to large families without fear of lawsuits, which is the reason so much food is tossed rather than distributed.
The Ministries of Health and Social Affairs and the National Council for Food Safety would determine guidelines for what food can safely be donated, and companies that adhere to those guidelines could not be sued if the food late made a recipient ill.
Approximately 25% of hotel, banquet hall, catering, food factories, and groceries is thrown in the garbage as spoilage even though much of it is still edible. A similar problem exists in much of the US.
“Hundreds of thousands of poor children and families, large families who have difficulty feeding their family daily. They would receive hot meals daily. Many organizations are interested in donating food, but because of current regulations and fear of lawsuits, this does not occur,” MK Maklev said.