World hunger is not a new problem. Everyday people all over the planet are struggling to eat enough food to lead a healthy life. However, according to the World Food Programme, nearly 800 million people go hungry each day. Malnutrition is also the cause of death for 45% of the population of children under five years old (https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats). While 12.9% of the world's malnutrition problems are centered in underdeveloped countries. There are still issues occurring in our own backyard and several other well-to-do countries all over the world. This month, the people of Italy have decided to take action against their own hunger problem.
The Italian government passed a law encouraging supermarkets and farmers to donate uneaten and unused food to the needy. The law comes into play a few months after France passed a similar bill. However, unlike France, which chose to punish the companies and food suppliers that did not comply with the law, Italy decided to reward those who did. Farmers and food companies will not be charged to ship excess food to charities, making it easier to donate their products. The law also make it legal for companies and farmers to donate food that has surpassed to sell-by date, but did not spoil, yet.
The country has calculated that the people of Italy accumulate over 500 million tons of food each year. They want to use the extra food to feed the estimated 6 million people of Italy who rely on charities to receive their food supply.
The law's biggest cultural change puts the use of "doggy-bags" in place. Italy does not normally encourage taking home uneaten food from restaurants, but this new law will make the practice more popular by ensuring that families package their leftovers after eating out in a restaurant to bring home for later consumption.
The anti-waste movement is gaining traction in Europe, we can only hope that it will become a popular idea in the United Kingdom, which has been deemed the most wasteful country on the continent. Hopefully the practice of Italy's new law will continue to spread throughout the world. It is a great way to put food on the tables of those that are struggling with something that so many take for granted each day.
