Citing an increase in the number of Filipinos experiencing involuntary hunger, which rose to 14.2 percent in March 2024 from 12.6 percent in December last year, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada sought to donate excess edible food to charity.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) refers to involuntary hunger as experiencing hunger and not having access to food at least once in the past three months.
The senator also cited data from the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) Sustainability Solutions Exchange (SSX) showing 88 kilograms of food is wasted by an average Filipino every year.
More than 35 percent of food waste comes not from households, but from the food service and retail sector, according to the study.
To help combat involuntary hunger, Estrada wants food manufacturers and establishments like restaurants, cafes, diners, fast food chains, hotels, supermarkets, and culinary schools to give excess foods.
To achieve this goal, he filed Senate Bill No. 1644, also known as the Food Surplus Reduction Act, which seeks to adopt a system to promote, facilitate, and ensure the reduction of food surplus through redistribution and recycling.
Under the bill, owners of covered establishments must segregate their edible from inedible food surplus.
A duly trained sanitary inspector from the local government unit (LGU) will check and assess before approving if the edible food is fit for consumption before donating it to food banks accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to distribute the excess food.
The DSWD shall provide the guidelines and standards for the collection, storage, and distribution of edible food donated to food banks.
Estrada’s bill includes a provision creating a self-sufficiency program for the intended beneficiaries to have skills training in managing food banks and livelihood programs to avoid dependency on donations.
Also, a liability protection clause is included to protect food donors from possible abuses and encourage donations.
Food-related business owners are liable only when they possess the food surplus. Once the donation reaches accredited food banks, they are exempt from any liability or injury related to it.
The reselling of donated food is strictly prohibited, Estrada said, adding that those caught will face imprisonment.
