Funviralpark Congress passed a bill this week encouraging food donations to fight hunger and reduce food waste.
The Better Food Giving Act strengthens liability protections for those who donate food directly to those in need and encourages restaurants, grocery stores, farms and other organizations to discard food rather than donate it. Remove barriers.
“This bill is highly bipartisan because it’s clear that vague and outdated laws prevent people with excess food from donating it to those in need.” “All we are doing here is expanding protection to increase the volume and efficiency of our food donation efforts.”
According to Feeding America, more than 38 million people in the United States face food shortages. Meanwhile, anti-hunger organizations estimate that the United States wastes 108 billion pounds of food each year, leading to declining food supplies and rising emissions.
The food donation bill passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday and was sent to President Biden’s desk by voice vote in the House on Wednesday. It was supposed to be included in the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, but was left out due to a clerical error.
The bill also extends legal protections to those who charge very low prices for food to cover the costs of handling and transporting food.
Food and diet companies such as Hellmann’s, Grubhub and WW International, formerly known as Weight Watchers, have joined anti-hunger and environmental groups to push the bill.
“The Improved Food Giving Act will engage all businesses, from large corporations to small, independent restaurants, in the fight against food insecurity,” Grubhub’s vice president of government affairs Amy Healy said in a statement. .
