The Lazarus Laws are a practical global model to end food waste — five concise, actionable policies that make food donation safe, simple, and universally supported by law.
They require no new technology, no massive funding, and no new bureaucracy. All that’s needed is the courage of governments to follow our simple guidelines to remove the barriers that keep surplus food from the hungry.
Customs fees and trade taxes treat donated food as commerce, blocking relief shipments.
Reform: Exempt all humanitarian food donations from duties and taxes.
Result: Faster, cheaper, barrier-free flow of aid across borders.
Border rules often delay or reject canned, frozen, and cooked foods that pose no risk.
Reform: Create fast-track clearance for verified humanitarian food shipments.
Result: Prevent time-sensitive food from expiring while awaiting approval.
Fear of lawsuits discourages generosity.
Reform: Grant Good Samaritan-style protections to everyone acting in good faith—from producers to distributors.
Result: Removes legal fear, unleashing large-scale private-sector food donations.
Confusing “sell by,” “best before,” and “use by” labels cause safe food to be thrown away.
Reform: Adopt global standards that clearly distinguish quality dates from safety dates.
Result: Reduces millions of tons of needless waste every year.
Some nations choose to lead by example.
Reform: Introduce a voluntary “Lazarus Gold Standard” with tax incentives for donations, food-waste penalties, and public recognition.
Result: Creates global competition to do more good—and be honored for it.
The Lazarus Council provides ready-to-use legislative templates for every law—crafted to help parliaments, congresses, and ministries adopt them immediately.
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