Legal Regulation of Food Waste Handling in Russia

Abstract

Problems dealing with legal regulations of food waste handling are an acute sphere for the Russian Federation. Foods with expiring period and food losses can contaminate the environment and harmful and dangerous substances, which they exude, can get into near-by springs, rivers and arable fields. Water from contaminated rivers and springs, as well as bread cultivated on such fields can be consumed by peoples living in surrounding villages and towns, which can ruin their health. Today the effective system of food waste regulation includes numerous legislative and normative acts inscribed in different legislative blocks: general legislation, legislation on wastes, veterinary legislation and legislation on technical regulation, sanitary and epidemiologic legislation. However, there are a lot of problems dealing with food waste handling that have not been exposed in a proper way. The Federal Law dated June 24, 1998 N 89-FZ ‘Concerning Wastes of Production and Consumption’ does not provide the definition of ‘food waste’. The requirements for obligatory separate stocking of foods are stipulated only by legislation on technical regulation and sanitary and epidemiologic legislation. The requirements for utilization of foods are envisaged by veterinary legislation, legislation on technical regulation and sanitary and epidemiologic legislation. The owner of food waste can chose ways and conditions of utilization and possible methods of food waste destruction. After analyzing the effective normative acts covering requirements for food waste handling the authors came to the conclusion that the major part of these legislative blocks does not provide conditions of priority utilization of food waste.