Laws and Regulations Regarding Food Waste Management as a Function of Environmental Protection in a Developing Nation

Abstract

Food availability with poverty reduction is among the main objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. A proper food waste management system is needed worldwide to ensure environmental sustainability and reduce food waste. For that purpose, along with devising laws and regulations, their strict implementation is a prerequisite. More specifically, food waste management is among the prime agendas in developing nations where resources are scarce with continuous population growth. Hence, the prime focus of the current study is a developing nation Indonesia where food waste comes at the first position with a total amount of 40.3% food waste yearly. It causes several environmental issues, including pollution (aquatic, soil, air, etc.), the greenhouse effect, poverty, and global warming. Therefore this research highlights the history of environmental protection laws, the importance of food waste management, and existing laws and regulations regarding food waste management globally and more specifically in Indonesia. For this purpose, a legal normative research methodology has been adopted by focusing on primary and secondary legal materials. The findings suggested that in Indonesia, there are several laws and regulations regarding environmental protection and the packaging of food items. However, no implicit laws or rules are formulated to manage food waste. Therefore, it is suggested that government should pay attention to amending the existing laws regarding environmental production and packaging of food items to deal with waste management implicitly. Also, implementing those laws is mandatory to extract their benefits to facilitate the masses and achieve prosperity in the country.