Italy is fighting food waste by introducing new laws for restaurants, farmers and supermarkets.

The bill, passed by 181 senators, will encourage families to take home unfinished food after eating out. It also removes obstructions for farmers and supermarkets to donate surplus food to charity.

The new law allows businesses to record food donations in a simple form, making donations easier, and removes sanctions for giving away food past its sell-by date. With the new law, the business owners will pay less waste tax the more food they donate.

The law’s goal is to cut the five million tonnes of food Italy wastes every year by at least one million tonnes. The bill was opposed by only two senators and abstained by one when put to a vote.

According to the ministers, food waste is costing Italy’s business and households more than €12 billion each year, which is around 1 per cent of Italy’s GDP.

With the country struggling with an estimated 20 per cent unemployment rate and public debt of 135 per cent, millions of Italians are living in poverty.

Three months ago, Italy’s highest court ruled that stealing small amounts of food because of hunger was not a crime.