Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda has reiterated the importance and urgency of passing Senate Bill 240, or the Zero Food Waste Act of 2022 following a recent report of the Philippine Rice Research Institute's (PhilRice) recent report on the alarming P7.2 billion worth of rice wasted in the Philippines. "Our country is rich in food resources, yet millions of Filipinos cannot afford three meals daily. The excess edible food supply must be highlighted and utilized to feed the millions of hungry Filipinos," she said. Legarda emphasized that the Zero Food Waste Act of 2022 is a timely response to the country's pressing issue of food waste. She filed this measure last year. The measure aims to implement a system that will encourage food waste reduction in the Philippines through recycling and redistribution. In doing so, the bill will mandate a specific government agency to launch the National Zero Food Waste Campaign, raise awareness on this issue, and develop a Food-related Business Waste Reduction Strategy and a Household and Local Government Unit Waste Reduction Strategy. The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that a shortage of 80,000 metric tons of rice from July to September is expected. Legarda said she firmly believes that with the food recovery and redistribution network that would be established once the bill is passed, this concern about rice production could also be addressed. "The Zero Food Waste Act of 2022 is not just about reducing food waste; it is also about promoting sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of food waste. When food is wasted, we not only lose the resources and energy that went into producing it, but we also contribute to producing methane gas that contributes to climate change," she explained. "The issue of food waste will continue to be a problem unless we act on it now," she added.