Bill: rather than destroy, companies will be able to donate surplus fresh food for hungry children

Fresh food is destroyed each day by catering companies by order of responsible government officials.

According to a bill encouraging saving food by MK Uri Maklev and Moshe Gafni, those companies could deliver food rations to associations for the needy which would hand them out to large families without being exposed to lawsuits. Thereby food will be saved from destruction on the one hand, and on the other underprivileged families and hungry children would enjoy it.

Currently by law, companies that provide prepared food rations for approved bodies, are obliged to destroy all the leftovers, as part of health procedures.

Under the bill, rather than destroy, food which is not for commercial usage may be contributed to the needy and poor – such as fresh cooked dishes collected at the end of the working day by catering.

Furthermore, catering, restaurants, banquet halls, or food for which the final date of marketing has passed but is still permitted for consumption – may be collected.

According to the proposal, the provisions of storage and food safety will be determined in consultation with the Minister of Health, Minister of Social Affairs and the National Council for food security.

According to the current situation, about 25 percent of the food prepared in hotels, banquet halls, catering companies, factories, catering services, retail chains, etc. - is destroyed. By kitchen staff's testimonies, a painful picture emerges of the destruction of hundreds of trays of hot and nutritious food, packed in their entirety, which often did not leave the kitchen and are destroyed as soon as they come out of the oven.

"These food rations are able to revive hundreds of thousands of poor children and large families and the unfortunate who do not get to eat a hot and nutritious dish each day. Many entities are interested in contributing the food, but because of the law and the fear that they will be exposed to claims they have to painfully destroy it instead of donating it to those who really need it," says MK Maklev.

In US and Europe there are similar laws that allow charity and social justice with the underprivileged and defend donors of fear of future claims.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!