India has enacted a new law – National Food Security Bill, 2013 which 

makes food a legal right to everybody. The plan is estimated to cover almost 800 million people by providing a kilo of rice at three rupees, wheat at two rupees and millet at one rupee.

If successfully implemented, 800 millions of people below the poverty line including malnourished children will benefit. Children 6 months to 14 

years of age are to receive free hot meals or as rations. There is a lot of noise about meeting the cost of this bill – a huge sum of 20 billion dollars. The lower house of parliament passed the bill last month followed by the upper house. The President approved it into law on 12 Sep 2013.

While there are people supporting the bill for securing the right to food for the poor, there are people criticizing the government that it has tried to make this law with a view to get the poor people?s votes in the next year?s elections. While the lawmakers are fighting how to meet the costs and to ensure the system works smoothly to ensure the benefits really reach the poor people, not many are focusing the need to have a Food Waste Reduction bill.

While the poor struggle to buy the food, there are many wealthy people wasting the purchased food without realizing they are ?stealing? the right of the poor people to have a decent food intake for their survival. If food waste can be reduced, food prices will reduce apart from reducing the Global warming.