Tbilisi, Rooms Hotel Tbilisi – A presentation of the Georgian draft law on Food Loss and Waste Reduction and Food Donation was held. The event was organized by the Agrarian Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, through the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, under the ENPARD III Programme of the European Union (EU). The meeting also included presentations of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) report, conducted by FAO, as well as Gender Impact Assessment (GIA), created by the Permanent Parliamentary Gender Equality Council.

Nino Tsilosani, Chair of the Agrarian Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Khatia Tsilosani, First Deputy Chair of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Giorgi Khanishvili, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, and Jumber Maruashvili, Senior National Policy Advisor of FAO, spoke about the importance of the draft law.

The aim of the meeting was to showcase the draft law to stakeholders and responsible entities such as charity organizations, retailers, non-governmental sector, farmers’ associations, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, National Food Agency, Revenue Service and so forth.  

Food loss and waste management and administration is a multidimensional concept, which encompasses waste management and prevention during food production and harvesting stages. It also includes food safety and hygiene issues, labelling and date marking rules, official control, and taxation.

The analysis of waste composition, which was carried out in Georgia in 2021 to determine the typical composition of waste streams generated and the share of different components in them, illustrates that organic waste, which includes food waste, holds the largest share in the composition of municipal waste - 54.7% (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, 2022). About 9.5% of Georgia’s population needs improved access to food products, while 0.6 million tons of food is transported to landfills (UN Environment Programme, 2021).

The draft law responds to the above-mentioned challenges and aims to improve food security and reduce the amount of food waste, which will positively impact the social, economic, and environmental, conditions in the country and support the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals.

“This legislative initiative is part of the big reforms, which will get us closer to the European Union. Sharing the best Western practices will, on the one hand, provide us with the opportunity to rationally distribute food products among those who need it the most while also supporting the reduction of food loss and waste. I am glad that the preparation of the draft law has been successful in the Agrarian Issues Committee in the context of the partnerships with our international partners, the European Union, stakeholders, and the executive government. I hope that the discussions of the draft law during the plenary sessions will be just as successful and that we will have the legislation on Food Loss and Waste Reduction and Food Donation, states the Chair of the Agrarian Issues Committee, Nino Tsilosani.

“The adoption of this draft law provides a great opportunity for responding to the interests of the population in Georgia through public-private partnerships. Its implementation will support responsible policy-making in the country with regards to food security and environmental sustainability and it will be the first precedent of reducing food loss and excess food waste based on the legislative level. I would like to express my gratitude toward the private sector, as well as the Georgian government and our partners (European Union, FAO) for their support,” states the First Deputy Chairperson of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Khatia Tsilosani.

“Proper management of agrifood systems can have a high impact, which translates into better livelihoods and more resilient private and public sectors. The draft law on food loss and waste and food donation, as well as its implementation, creates an opportunity for making such an impact. I am glad that the Parliament of Georgia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, are working actively on the draft law and support its implementation,” states Jumber Maruashvili, the Senior National Policy Advisor at FAO.

The European Union supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013, with a total budget of Euro 179.5 million. The first phase of ENPARD focused on developing national agriculture potential, while the second and third phases concentrate on creating economic opportunities for the rural population that go beyond agricultural activities.