This happens while over 2.5 million tons of food are discarded annually in our country. A new law obliges those involved to take new measures to reduce food waste. Currently, the link between the merchant and the destination where the food will be directed is not well-established.

Every evening, when closing time arrives, volunteers come to the restaurants and stores they collaborate with to fill the car with leftover food that would otherwise end up in the trash. The food-laden vehicle then heads to needy families.

Gina Neacșu, founder of the "Gift Factory" association: "Everything collected tonight is distributed by the next morning. We refrain from storing products overnight and donate everything we receive. We don't have a warehouse, we don't have a big hall to keep these. Tonight the van was loaded. From pies, soups, stews, meat, milk, bananas, oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes".

There are few organizations that handle the distribution of products left over during the day in restaurants, and even fewer merchants who donate food.

According to the newly enacted legislation, all individuals will be required to adopt a minimum of two suggested measures for waste reduction. Merchants, therefore, are mandated to decrease the shelf prices for products approaching their expiration date, contribute them to underprivileged families or animal shelters, or convert them into compost to generate biomass.

In Romania, there is no system of collection centers for producing biomass from food waste. There are only local initiatives with limited capacity. However, food products are welcomed in the overflowing animal shelters in Romania. Especially public ones that never have enough food.

Ana Constantin, Ilfov Animal Protection: "There is a great need in shelters for additional food for dogs. According to the law in Romania, shelter dogs must be fed only once a day. The law also obliges shelters to buy the cheapest food, and unfortunately, dogs cannot have everything they need to grow, develop healthily; they don't receive the necessary proteins from the poorest food bought from the market".

Anca Tomescu, veterinarian at the Speranța Shelter: "Regarding dog shelters, it's like a godsend for them, but we must be careful and consider the well-being of the dogs. When we received food from restaurants, it was often stored in barrels. But often we found there other objects that harm the dogs".

In our country, 2.5 million tons of food are lost annually.