Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by Representative 
BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT REDUCING FOOD WASTE THROUGH FOOD DONATIONS AND FOOD 
WASTE RECYCLING 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This proposed legislation, the "Food Waste Reduction Act," stands as an indispensable 
initiative designed to confront and ameliorate the pervasive challenges of food waste and 
involuntary hunger that continue to afflict the Philippines. It meticulously seeks to establish a 
robust and comprehensive national framework for the systemic reduction of food waste through 
both strategic food donations and highly efficient food waste recycling mechanisms. 
At its core, this Bill is deeply rooted in the constitutional imperative, specifically Section 
11, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, which unequivocally upholds the inherent dignity of 
every human person and guarantees the full respect for fundamental human rights, including the 
non-negotiable right to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Despite the unwavering commitment 
to this constitutional mandate and the persistent efforts aimed at bolstering food production and 
national food security, the nation paradoxically continues to grapple with an alarming volume of 
discarded food alongside a distressing prevalence of involuntary hunger.  
Recent data from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in April 2025 
indicates that approximately 20% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger, 
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3:45 pm
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highlighting a persistent and concerning reality where significant quantities of edible food are 
discarded while a substantial portion of the populace struggles for sustenance.1 
This legislative measure directly and forcefully addresses this profound societal paradox. 
It not only mandates but also meticulously facilitates the systematic redistribution of edible food 
surplus to the most vulnerable segments of our population, primarily through a network of 
accredited food banks operating in seamless coordination with the Department of Social Welfare 
and Development (DSWD) and Local Government Units (LGUs). Furthermore, it champions the 
innovative recycling of inedible food waste, transforming what would otherwise be discarded 
into invaluable resources such as nutrient-rich fertilizers and compost, thereby making a dual 
contribution to both environmental sustainability and enhanced agricultural productivity. 
By meticulously establishing clear, actionable guidelines for the segregation, rigorous 
inspection, responsible donation, and efficient recycling of food, and by actively fostering 
collaborative synergies among key government agencies, vital food-related businesses, and 
dedicated non-profit organizations, this Act is poised to achieve transformative outcomes: 
●
Substantially strengthen national food security, ensuring a more equitable and stable food
supply for all citizens.
●
Dramatically lower the incidence of involuntary hunger, alleviating suffering and
upholding human dignity.
●
Profoundly promote responsible consumption patterns and sustainable waste management
practices, fostering a more resource-efficient and environmentally conscious society.
This critical measure, having already garnered significant support and approval in the
House of Representatives during the 18th Congress, retains its paramount importance. Its 
potential to convert what is currently perceived as mere food surplus into a powerful instrument 
of sustenance for the underprivileged and a valuable asset for environmental betterment is 
immense and undeniable. 
In light of its far-reaching and transformative implications for human welfare, social 
equity, and sustainable national development, the swift and earnest approval of this vital Bill is 
not merely requested, but is urgently implored. 
HON. BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
Representative 
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List 
1
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2076066/sws-filipinos-who-experienced-involuntary-hunger-rose-to-20-in-april 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by Representative 
BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT REDUCING FOOD WASTE THROUGH FOOD DONATIONS AND FOOD 
WASTE RECYCLING 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Food Waste Reduction Act". 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes that each person has a right to an adequate 
standard of living, including sufficient, safe and nutritious food. It is hereby declared a policy of 
the State to attain food security, end hunger, and promote the efficient use of the country's food 
resources. The considerable number of people going hungry daily is a breach of a human right 
that this Act intends to correct and the massive amount of food waste produced presents an 
opportunity for the State to address hunger and its efforts on the quality of life of the 
underprivileged. Towards this end, The State shall adopt a system to promote, facilitate and 
ensure the reduction of food waste through redistribution and recycling. The State shall likewise 
implement measures to make it mandatory to donate edible food surplus for charitable purposes. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act: 
(a) Edible food surplus refers to excess food or surplus food in the retail and
consumption stages, determined to be fit for consumption based on standards set by the
National Nutrition Council (NNC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA);
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(b) Food insecure refers to persons or groups of persons who have no means and/or have 
difficulty producing or purchasing food; 
 
(c) Food surplus reduction refers to the decrease in food surplus generation, the 
redistribution of food surplus to the food insecure or the recycling of food as fertilizer or 
compost; 
 
(d) Food-related business refers to public and private businesses as involved in the 
manufacturing and processing of food products, private business involved in the 
wholesaling and retailing of food products, private business involved in serving food 
products, and private institutions offering courses in the art and science of preparation, 
cooking and presentation of food; 
 
(e) Food banks refer to non-profit, charitable or other social mission-oriented 
organizations that distribute food to the food insecure; and 
 
(f) Inedible food surplus refers to food discarded in the retail and consumption stages, 
determined to be unfit for consumption based on the standards set by the NNC and FDA, 
including but not limited to prepackaged food products that have gone beyond their 
declared expiry dates. 
 
SEC. 4. Covered Establishments. - The establishments covered by this Act are as follows: 
(a) Food manufacturer, notwithstanding any restriction imposed by any existing law and 
regulation on food manufacturers: Provided, That any donation made by such 
manufacturers under the provisions of this Act shall constitute an exception to the 
applicability of restrictions under existing laws and regulations; 
 
(b) Food establishments (restaurants, cafes, diners, fast food chains or hotels); 
 
(c) Supermarkets with at least five hundred (500) square meters of selling space; and 
 
(d) Culinary schools which offer culinary, baking and pastry courses with at least fifty 
(50) students. 
 
SEC. 5. Determination of Food Insecures. - The criteria for the determination of food insecures 
will be made by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination 
with the local government units (LGUs). 
 
SEC. 6. National Food Surplus Campaign. - The NNC, in close coordination with the DSWD, 
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and 
 


Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Trade and 
Industry (DTI), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), 
Department of Agriculture (DA), FDA, other concerned agencies and LGUs, shall undertake a 
National Food Surplus Campaign to raise awareness on the impact of food surplus and strategies 
to decrease wasted food starting at the household level. The campaign shall also promote the 
food surplus reduction hierarchy and recommend means of reducing individual food waste. 
 
To educate the younger generation, the DepEd shall have the duty to ensure that the prescribed 
curriculum includes informative materials on the following: 
 
(a) Current global and national food waste situation; 
 
(b) Ways to minimize food surplus; 
 
(c) National and food surplus prevention programs; 
 
(d) Food recovery; and 
 
(e) Pertinent provision of this Act. 
 
SEC. 7. Edible Food Surplus Distribution Steps. - The following steps shall be followed in 
edible food surplus distribution: 
 
(a) The owners of the covered establishments will segregate their edible and inedible 
food surplus; 
 
(b) To facilitate distribution, food manufacturers may opt to perform the segregation of 
their products at the supermarket that sell their products; 
 
(c) Before a donation is made, a duly accredited health inspector of the LGU will check if 
the edible food surplus is fit for consumption based on the standards set by the NNC and 
FDA; 
 
(d) Upon certifying that the edible food surplus is fit for consumption, the edible food 
surplus will be donated to accredited food banks, as determined by the DSWD; and 
 
(e) Food banks, in coordination with the DSWD and LGUs, will distribute the edible food 
surplus to the food insecure. 
 


SEC. 8. Food-related Business Waste Reduction Strategy. - The owners of food-related 
businesses such as food manufacturers, supermarkets, restaurants, cafeterias, culinary schools 
and hotels shall: 
 
(a) Submit their respective reports to the DSWD and DENR containing data on the 
amount (in tons) of its edible and inedible food surplus, organized according to the 
manner of disposal, including donation, composting, or discarding; 
 
(b) Enter into a contract with food banks to redistribute edible food surplus to the food 
insecures; and 
 
(c) Ensure that edible food surplus is unadulterated and in good condition upon arrival at 
the food bank's distribution center, in accordance with standards set by the NNC and 
FDA. 
 
SEC. 9. National Food Surplus Scheme. - The DSWD, as the coordinating agency between 
food businesses and food banks, shall: 
 
(a) Provide guidelines and standards for the collection, storage, and distribution of edible 
food donated for food banks; 
 
(b) Ensure that food businesses have entered into contracts with food banks and issue 
acceptance certificates to food businesses; 
 
(c) Ensure that food banks have adequate storage for edible food surplus; 
 
(d) Promote linkages between food banks and LGUs to create a community-based food 
distribution system for the food insecure; and 
 
(e) Create a Self-Sufficiency Program that will provide the food insecure with skills 
training in managing food banks and livelihood programs to avoid the dependence on 
donation solely. 
 
SEC. 10. Responsibility of LGUs in Waste Reduction Strategy. - LGUs are hereby required 
to: 
 
(a) Submit a report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of inedible food surplus that 
can be recycled as raw materials for fertilizers or compost to the DENR in accordance 
with the standards set by it; 
 
 


(b) Initiate waste segregation efforts per household through local campaigns; 
 
(c) Shoulder the cost of transporting inedible food surplus from the collection areas to 
waste management sites; 
 
(d) Enter into contract with waste management and recycling enterprises to recycle 
inedible food waste into fertilizer or compost; and 
 
(e) Facilitate the distribution of fertilizer or compost to farms and community gardening 
associations. 
 
SEC. 11. Accreditation and Training of Health Inspectors. - The DOH, in coordination with 
the FDA, shall conduct seminars and provide adequate training to LGU health inspectors 
regarding the proper sorting, collection and determination of edible and inedible food surplus. 
 
SEC. 12. Supervision. - The NNC in coordination with the DSWD, shall supervise the 
enforcement and implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 13. Liability Protection. - To protect the food donors from possible abuses, and encourage 
donations, the liability of owners of the food-related businesses is limited only to the time that 
they have possession of the food surplus. Once a donation has been made to the accredited food 
banks and/or farms, the owner shall be exempt from any liability and/or injury arising therefrom. 
 
SEC. 14. Prohibition of Selling Edible and Inedible Food Surplus. - The reselling of donated 
edible and inedible food surplus is strictly prohibited. The penalty of *prision mayor* shall be 
imposed upon anyone caught reselling donated food surplus. If the offender is a juridical entity, 
the responsible officers will be held liable for said violation. 
 
SEC. 15. Penal Provisions/Penalties. - The penalty of a fine amounting to Five hundred 
thousand pesos (Php 500,000.00) shall be imposed upon any individual, private or public entity, 
who makes edible food surplus unfit for consumption. The same penalty is applicable to private 
or public persons/entities who prevent the redirection of edible food surplus to food banks or 
inedible food surplus to waste management and recycling enterprises. The fines shall be imposed 
as follows: 
 
(a)​First time offenders: Php 1,000,000.00 
 
(b)​Second time offenders: Php 1,500,000.00 
 
(c)​Third time offenders: Php 2,000,000.00 
 


 
(d)​Fourth time offenders: Php 3,000,000.00 
 
(e)​Fifth time offenders and up: Php 5,000,000.00 
 
SEC. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of 
this Act, the NNC, in coordination with the DSWD, DILG, DENR, DOST, DepEd and DOH, 
shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
 
SEC. 18. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, presidential decrees or issuances, executive orders, 
letters of instruction, administrative orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
SEC. 19. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved, 
 
 
HON. BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
Representative 
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List