Bill C-231: An Act to establish National Food Waste Awareness Day and to provide for the development of a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada

Short Title National Day National Strategy Review and Report First Session, Forty-second Parliament, 64-65 Elizabeth II, 2015-2016 HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA BILL C-231 An Act to establish National Food Waste Awareness Day and to provide for the development of a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada FIRST READING, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 Ms. Brosseau 421158 SUMMARY This enactment designates the 16th day of October in each and every year as “National Food Waste Awareness Day” and provides for the development and implementation of a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada. Available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 1st Session, 42nd Parliament 64-65 Elizabeth II, 2015-2016 HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA BILL C-231 An Act to establish National Food Waste Awareness Day and to provide for the development of a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada Preamble Whereas food waste is a scourge in Canada, which caused some $107 billion in economic losses in 2014; Whereas Canadians annually confine some $31 billion in food to the landfill or compost heap; Whereas over 6.‍3 million tonnes of foodstuffs are wasted in Canada each year, which represents 183 kg per inhabitant; Whereas food waste occurs primarily among manufacturers of processed foods, retailers and consumers; And whereas over 850,000 Canadians, 36% of them young people and children, visited food banks each month in 2015; Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: Short Title Short title 1 This Act may be cited as the Fight Against Food Waste Act. National Day National Food Waste Awareness Day 2 Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the 16th day of October is to be known as “National Food Waste Awareness Day”. Not a legal holiday 3 For greater certainty, National Food Waste Awareness Day is not a legal holiday or a non-juridical day. National Strategy Development and implementation 4 (1) The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in consultation with representatives of the provincial and territorial governments responsible for agriculture and agri-food and stakeholders in the agriculture and agri-food industry, must develop and implement a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada that includes measures to (a) raise public awareness of food waste through a national campaign; (b) put in place the tools needed to allow consumers to reduce food waste; (c) facilitate the donation, by the private sector, of blemished but edible food products to community organizations and food banks; (d) study various ways of reducing the environmental impact of the production of unused food resources; and (e) establish food waste reduction targets. Conference (2) Within six months after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister must convene a conference with representatives of the provincial and territorial governments responsible for agriculture and agri-food and stakeholders from the agriculture and agri-food industries in order to develop the national strategy. Report to Parliament 5 (1) The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food must prepare a report setting out the national strategy and cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament in the year following the day on which this Act comes into force. Publication of report (2) The Minister must post the report on the departmental website within 10 days after the day on which the report is tabled in Parliament. Review and Report Review and report 6 (1) Within five years of the tabling of the report referred to in section 5, and every five years after that, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food must prepare a report on the effectiveness of the national strategy, setting out his or her conclusions and recommendations regarding the strategy, and cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after the report is completed. Publication of report (2) The Minister must post the report on the departmental website within 10 days after the day on which the report is tabled in Parliament. Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons