Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No2996

INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE JANICE V. DEGAMO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘Around one third of the food produced globally, equivalent to 1.3 billion tons or
worth US$1 trillion (around P46 trillion), is wasted annually according to the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). There are both economic and environmental
costs to this wastage. The forests and biodiversity cleared to create farmlands, along with
the soils, energy, water, fertilizer, and labor utilized to produce food that is never eaten
are also put to waste. A total of 28% of the global agricultural region is used to produce
food that will eventually go to waste, according to the World Resources Institute.
Furthermore, most of the greenhouse gas emissions are generated by food disposed of in
landfills. With around 1 in 4 calories yielded remaining unconsumed, and a population of
around 870 million without equitable access to food resources daily, this absurd
disjuncture deems moral implications to this profound amount of discarded food.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines food loss
as the decrease in the amount or nutritional quality of food that was intended for human
consumption. FAO says that more than 40% of food loss in developing countries such as
the Philippines happens before consumption—during production, postharvest, and
processing. The Intemational Rice Research Institute (IRRI) reports that rice losses reach
around 15% in the postharvest stage. In addition, an estimated 296,869 metric tons of rice,
equivalent to P7.3 billion, is wasted in the country according to the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PRRI). The discarded amount could have fed more than 2 million
Filipinos.

The food waste reduction hierarchy set by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (US EPA) shows, through an inverted triangular diagram, the most
preferred to the least preferred actions that can be done with food waste. Topmost is
source reduction, followed by donation to the hungry, diversion to animal feed,
recovering energy, creating compost, and at the bottom is disposal of food in landfills.


‘As a member-state to the United Nations and a country bound to the Sustainable
Development Goals that forward human rights and social justice, it is highly essential for
the Government to facilitate in redirecting surplus to those who do not have food on their
plates.

There is more than enough food in the world for everyone. By getting food-
related businesses to donate their surplus food to food distribution charities, thus
providing food security to those without access to their next meal, this bill seeks to
ultimately end the cycle of having food end up in the trash instead of stomachs. The bill
also demands the involvement of private individuals and their local governments in
efficiently arriving at a segregation campaign to have household food waste readily
available for recycling into fertilizer or compost and for diversion into food scrap to
animal food. Finally, the provision of this bill on the National Zero Food Waste
Campaign addresses the proper information dissemination on the ways by which
Filipinos can follow the food waste reduction hierarchy.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is urgently sought.

JANI
Representative, 3


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No._ 2556

Introduced by HONORABLE JANICE V. DEGAMO

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A SYSTEM OF REDISTRIBUTING AND
RECYCLING FOOD WASTE TO PROMOTE FOOD SECURITY

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Zero Food Waste
Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes that each person has a
right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to sufficient food. It is hereby
declared a policy of the State to safeguard food security, end hunger, and promote the
efficient use of the country’s food resources.

Towards this end, the State shall adopt a system to promote, facilitate, and ensure
the reduction of food waste through redistribution and recycling. The massive amount of
food wasted and the considerable number of people going hungry daily is a breach that
this Act intends to correct.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall
mean:
(a) Food insecure — persons or groups of persons who have difficulty producing or
purchasing food to avoid hunger.
(0) Food loss - food discarded in the production, manufacture, retail, and consumption
stages, determined to be fit for consumption based on standards set by the National
Nutrition Council.

(c) Food waste reduction — the decrease of food waste generation, the redistribution of
food loss to the food insecure or the recycling of food waste as fertilizer or compost.


(@) Food-related businesses — public and private businesses involved in the
manufacturing and processing of food products (i.e. food manufacturers), private
businesses involved in the wholesaling and retailing of food products (i.e. supermarkets),
and private businesses involved in serving food products (i.e. restaurants, cafeterias, and
hotels).

(©) Food distributing institutions — non-profit, charitable, or other social mission-driven
organizations that distribute food to the food insecure.

(®) Food waste — food discarded in the retail and consumption stages, determined to be
unfit for consumption based on standards set by the National Nutrition Council.

(g) Waste management and recycling enterprises — organizations that manage food waste
by converting these into fertilizers or compost.

(h) Food waste Reduction Hierarchy — levels of actions an organization can take to
prevent and divert food waste. This includes Source Reduction, Feed Hungry People,
Feed Animals, Industrial Uses, Composting, Landfill/Incineration. Each tier focuses on
different management strategies for wasted food, having the top levels as the most
beneficial for the environment, society and the economy.

(h.1) Source Reduction ~ Reducing the volume of surplus food generated

(b.2) Feed Hungry People — Donating extra food to food banks, soup kitchens,
and shelters

(h.3) Feed Animals — Diverting food scraps to animal food

(b.4) Industrial Uses — Providing waste oils for rendering and fuel conversion and
food scraps for digestion (anaerobic digestion) to recover energy.

(b.5) Composting — Creating a nutrient-rich soil amendment
(b.6) Landfill/Incineration — Last resort to disposal

SEC. 4. National Zero Food Waste Campaign. — The National Nutrition
Council (NNC), in close coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the
Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the
Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Department of
Energy (DOE), other concemed agencies and Local Government Units (LGUs), is hereby
tasked to undertake a National Zero Food Waste Campaign to raise awareness about the
consequences of wasted food, the Zero Food Waste Act, and the food waste reduction
efforts required of food-related businesses and households through the LGUs. The
Campaign shall also promote the food waste reduction hierarchy, and recommend means
of reducing individual food waste.


DepEd shall have the duty to ensure that the education curriculum includes
materials on the current global and national food waste situation, on ways to reduce food
waste, on national and local food waste prevention programs, and regarding the
provisions of this Act. DTI shall encourage food-related businesses to purchase lower-
price, non-standard size or shape produce to be used in their food products.

SEC. 5. Food-related Business Waste Reduction Strategy. — Food-related
businesses such as food manufacturers, supermarkets, restaurants, cafeterias, and hotels
are hereby required to:

(a) Submit an initial report to the DSWD and DENR that contains data on the amount (in
tons) of its food loss and food waste in the past years and immediately preceding year,
organized according to the manner of disposal, including donation, composting, or
discarding.

(b) Submit an annual report to the DA that contains data on the amount (in tons) of its
food loss and food waste in the past years and immediately preceding year, organized
according to the manner of disposal, including donation, composting, or discarding.

(©) Submit an annual report to the DOE that contains data on the amount (in tons) of its
food loss and food waste in the past years and immediately precedent year, organized
according to the manner of disposal, including donation, composting, or discarding, in
order for the Department to see which food waste can be used as waste oils.

(@) Enter into a contract with food distributing institutions to redistribute food loss to the
food insecure.

(e) Ensure that food loss is unadulterated and in good condition upon arrival at the food
distributing institution’s distribution center.

(f) Enter into contract with animal industries and farms to divert food scraps to animal
food.

(g) Enter into a contract with waste management and recycling enterprises to recycle food.
waste into fertilizer or compost.

(h) Strictly implement a policy, especially in food buffets and restaurants, to prohibit
leftover food including side dishes.

(i) Reach and maintain food waste levels at the target set by the DENR.

SEC. 6 National Zero Food Waste Scheme. — DSWD, as the coordinating
agency between the food businesses and food distributing institutions, shall:

(a) Provide guidelines and standards for the collection, storage, and distribution of food
loss donated to food distributing institutions.


(b) Ensure that food businesses have entered into contracts with food distributing
institutions and issue acceptance certificates to food businesses.

(c) Promote linkages between food distributing institutions and LGUs to create a
community-based food distribution system for the food insecure.

(@ Provide guidelines in targeting beneficiaries for distributed food.

(©) Create a Self-Sufficiency Program that will provide the food insecure with skills
training on managing food distributing institutions and livelihood programs to avoid the
dependence on donation solely.

SEC. 7. Household and Local Government Waste Reduction Strategy. — LGUs
are hereby required to:

(a) Submit an initial report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
can be recycled as raw material for fertilizers or compost to DENR.

(b) Submit an annual report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
has been recycled as raw material for fertilizers or compost to the DENR.

(c) Submit an initial report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
can be recycled as raw material for waste oils to the DOE.

(@ Submit an annual report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
has been recycled as raw material for waste oils to the DOE.

(e) Submit an initial report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
can be diverted from food scrap to animal food to the DA.

(® Submit an annual report that contains data on the amount (in tons) of food waste that
has been diverted from food scrap to animal food to the DA.

(g) Initiate waste segregation efforts per household through local campaigns.

(h) Enter into a contract with waste management and recycling enterprises to recycle food
‘waste from households into fertilizer or compost.

(® Shoulder the costs of transporting food waste from collection areas to waste
management sites.

(j) Reach and maintain food waste levels at the target set by DENR.
(k) Direct the compost to farmers and other food producers.

SEC. 8. Oversight Functions of DTI and/or SEC - The Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) and/or Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shall have the
function of ensuring that food-related businesses submit the necessary reports and enter


into contracts with industries mentioned in Section 6 herein. Failure to comply within the
deadline set by DSWD, DENR, and other respective agencies will subject the food-
related business to sanctions provided for by DTI and/or SEC.

SEC. 9. Education. — The Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) shall include in its curriculum and culture, appropriate
information and ways on how students of different levels may be able to help in food
waste management especially in school setting.

SEC. 10, Mobile Application. — Department of Information Communication and
Technology in coordination with private industries and other relevant government
agencies, shall establish a Philippine-based mobile application (app) that will help
connect households and local businesses to share food surplus with each other and such
other features that will ensure an end to food waste.

SEC. 11. Tax Exemption. — Food-related businesses shall be exempt from
donor’s tax arising from the donation of food loss to food distributing institutions.

SEC. 12. Incentives. ~ DILG shall include Household and Local Government
Waste Reduction Strategy as a criteria under the Environmental Protection aspect of the
Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award.

SEC. 13. Penal Provisions/Penalties. — The penalty of prision correccional will
be imposed on any individual, private or public, who deliberately makes food loss unfit
for consumption. The same penalty is applicable to private or public actors who prevent
the redirection of food loss to food distributing institutions or food waste to waste
management and recycling enterprises.

SEC 14. Information Dissemination. ~ The Philippine Information Agency, in
coordination with the DepEd, DOLE and the DILG, shall ensure proper and adequate
information dissemination of the contents and benefits of this Act to pertinent entities in
all provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays.

SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from
the effectivity of this Act, the National Nutrition Council, in coordination with the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Education (DepEd), the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Health (DOH), and other
relevant government agencies, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for
the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 16. Periodic Review. — The implementing agencies shall submit an annual
report to Congress on the progress in the implementation of this Act.



SEC. 17. Appropriations. — The funds needed to implement this Act shall be
included in the Annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 18. Separability Clause. — Should any provision herein be declared
‘unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity of the other provisions of this Act.

SEC. 19. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations or
other issuances or parts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

SEC. 20. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation in
the Philippines.

Approved,