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Montenegro does not have a legal framework for donating food, say the Food Bank. They note that this would achieve multiple benefits: in addition to redirecting food to the poor, reducing food waste would have economic and environmental benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"We will have to do this primarily on the way to the EU, because there are legal regulations and mechanisms in place to save money, or reduce food waste. We have a goal for sustainable development to halve food waste by 2030,\" said Marina Medojevi\u0107 from the Food Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost all European countries have recognized the importance of this problem and included it in their legislation, says Medojevi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to pass the law, he adds, we must first have relevant data, but also mechanisms to direct this food to the socially vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"If we had a distribution center, which the Food Bank has been proposing for years, for the collection and distribution of food, which would collect and summarize in one place the surplus that arose on agricultural land, during production, transport, and import. We are really losing a large amount of food that could be redirected to people in social need, and in Montenegro the poverty rate is 20%, and we are talking about 120 thousand people who clearly need food,\" Medojevi\u0107 pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, destroying food emits a large amount of methane, says Medojevi\u0107. In addition to mechanisms for collecting, inspecting and distributing food, he also proposes abolishing VAT on donated food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"In this way, we would stimulate all those who have surplus food to redirect that food to those who need it most. I'm not saying that producers and traders themselves wouldn't donate food if they had the mechanisms, but abolishing or reducing the VAT rate would contribute significantly, because that way they would find their own economic reasons,\" said Medojevi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also important to educate the population, because 50% of food is wasted in households, Medojevi\u0107 emphasizes. As part of the distribution center, he also proposes establishing a shelter for the homeless, where in addition to food, they would have conditions for maintaining personal hygiene. However, as he says, all of this requires political will, but also empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n