The plan of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture to change the rules for donated food has caused a lot of confusion. Some politicians and merchants are critical. Minister Piret Hartman says that people have misunderstood the change.
Minister Hartman explained that the new rules simplify donation. If the food is packaged, the rules do not change. If the food is given directly to a person, nothing changes either. If the food is donated through an organization, the amount of information to be provided is reduced.
Previously, six different pieces of information had to be provided. Now only three need to be provided: allergens, contact person, and food name. The minister said that stores do not have to label all foods separately. It is enough if the information is passed on to the food distribution point.
Hartman admitted that the dissemination of information was not sufficient. The Food Bank and merchants were not sufficiently aware of the new rules. The Food Bank is the largest food distributor in Estonia. They have complied with the rules by simplifying them.
Rimi donates a lot of food. According to them, the situation in Estonia is already very good compared to other Baltic countries. They want the donation process to be even simpler. For example, donating without a delivery note would be a good solution.