Ten years after the Gadda Law, Italy is still dealing with food waste. The Barilla Foundation book offers 120 practical solutions to combat it
Ten years have passed since the approval of Law 166/2016, the anti-waste law strongly supported by MP Maria Chiara Gadda. A decade in which Italy has taken concrete steps in the right direction, but in which the problem is by no means solved. In fact, every year, along the entire agri-food chain, extremely precious resources, both economic and environmental, end up in the rubbish bin. The law has succeeded in simplifying donations, introducing tax incentives and clarifying the distinction between expiry date and minimum shelf life. Yet, wasted food remains an open and very deep wound.
What the Gadda law really changed
The law has had a virtuosity impact, especially on a bureaucratic level. Before 2016, donating surplus food was a real obstacle course. Today, however, a farmer, a supermarket or a restaurant is able to transfer unsold food to Third Sector entities via a simple electronic communication or transport document. Municipalities, for their part, can apply discounts on the TARI in proportion to the quantities of food donatedthus encouraging virtuous behavior along the entire supply chain.
Another important step concerns labelling. Specifically, the law clearly distinguishes between “use by” and “best before”: in the second case, the product is not dangerous for health after that date, but could lose some organoleptic characteristics that make it tastier. A confusion that, despite the fact that ten years have passed, continues to push millions of consumers still throw perfectly edible foods into the dustbin today.
The costs of food waste
To further understand the scale of the problem, we can take advantage of some particularly significant data. A study by the University of Bologna, coordinated by Professor Claudia Giordano in collaboration with the Barilla Foundation, in fact, it estimates that an Italian family that reduces food waste can save more than 500 euros a yearcalculating food prices for 2024. This is not a mere symbolic figure. No, it’s real money, subtracted every year from Italians’ domestic spending without almost anyone realizing it.
«The Book of Savings»: 120 actions against waste
It is in this context that it fits The Book of Savingsthe volume published by Barilla Foundation and presented on February 4, 2025 in Milan, on the occasion of the Italian Day against Food Waste. The text collects 120 practical actions to reduce waste inside and outside the home, addressing the topic from three angles: nutritional, environmental and economic.
The approach is concrete, at times even surprising in its description simple daily actions that everyone could (or rather, should) take to reduce waste. It turns out, for example, that orange peels can become a herbal tea, or that parmesan rinds are transformed into chips crispy in the microwave. Small gestures, sure. Yet, it is precisely these tiny actions that, multiplied across millions of families, can make a difference on a large scale.
A cultural problem, even before a regulatory one
The Gadda law has existed for a decade now. And for more than a year it has been accompanied by the precious book from the Barilla Foundation. Yet, the waste persists, like a weed that is very difficult to eradicate. The point, therefore, is not just legislative. It is also cultural. Reducing waste requires a change in purchasing, storage and consumption habitswhich no regulation can impose from above, although it may help to produce food culture and limit the unhealthy habits of some citizens. No, you need awareness. To understand that a wonderful mulled wine can be made from leftover wine, a timeless remedy for the coldest winter evenings.
