An overview of food waste phenomenon: By problem to resource

Up to one third of all food is spoiled or squandered before it is consumed by people. It’s a problem in a period where almost a billion people go hungry, and represents a waste of the labour, water, energy, land and other inputs that went into producing that food. It’s crucial to intervene through clear definitions and appropriate legislative action at European level. In this regard, our country has intervened through the enactment of “Law Gadda” on the donation and distribution of food and pharmaceutical products which regulates the recovery and reuse of surpluses, transforming wastage in resources for the Community. In this context, the activities of non-profit organizations is crucial because it aims to intercept the surpluses which are generated in all links of the food chain in order to allocate these surpluses for charitable purposes. The work, after a close examination of the theme of the food waste, analyzed the network of the Banco Alimentare, a non profit organization which mission is fighting against food waste and to feed the most deprived.