Law Promoting Food Recovery Measures (Law No. 31477)

Law No. 31477, published on May 18, 2022, promotes measures to recover agricultural, fishery and aquaculture food products suitable for direct human consumption and distribute them to vulnerable populations. The law seeks to recover fresh food that remains unsold in wholesale and retail food markets through selection, sorting and free distribution to people experiencing poverty, extreme poverty or food insecurity, through social organizations and recipient entities. In accordance with Law No. 30988, it establishes measures to prevent food waste, including awareness campaigns, coordination with regional and local governments on pilot projects, participation by public and private stakeholders, assistance and training in food recovery and safe food handling, and mechanisms for collecting and organizing information. It assigns the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, in coordination with other authorities, responsibility for establishing and consolidating the National Register of Final Recipient Entities of Recovered Food. The law also establishes liability for distributing unsafe food in cases involving gross negligence or intentional misconduct, mandates implementing regulations and guidelines, and authorizes the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation to establish the Zero Food Loss and Waste Award to recognize initiatives preventing and reducing food loss and waste. The law provides a framework for food recovery and redistribution rather than an agricultural production, financing or public procurement program.