Dominican Republic: Policy Highlights and Opportunities

Every week, 1.1 million kilograms of food are lost or wasted along the supply chain in the Dominican Republic, with 93% of food lost in the production phase, alone. If recovered and redistributed, this food could help reduce food insecurity, which affected 10.4% of the population prior to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Atlas Research: Dominican Republic

Legal Guide

Learn more about the legal frameworks relevant to food donation and how the Dominican Republic's existing laws and policies support or hinder the country's progress.

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Policy Recommendations

Dive into recommendations for policymakers based on the gaps and opportunities identified in the legal guides.

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Executive Summary

Read highlights of the research findings and our high-level recommendations.

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Policy Highlights

Dominican Republic research was published in March 2021 and was made possible with the advice and support of our on-site partners, including Banco de Alimentos de la República Dominicana.

Food Safety

The Dominican Republic has an expansive and complex body of law, regulation, and standards governing food safety. Most food safety standards in the Dominican Republic are derived from the General Health Law, nonbinding,

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voluntary technical standards, and the General Regulation for the Control of Food and Beverage Risk, the latter of which features articles that specifically concern food donation and offer commentary on government oversight.

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Tax Incentives and Barriers

The Dominican Republic offers a tax deduction of up to 5% of the donor’s net income for the value of charitable in-kind and monetary donations made to registered institutions, including food banks.

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The Tax Code also exempts all donations made to public and charitable institutions from the Corporate Income Tax, and most agricultural food products are exempt from the value-added tax.

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Policy Opportunities and Recommendations

Date Labeling

The Dominican Republic standardizes date labels under two binding regulations that require the use of quality-based date labels, but are not aligned on how this label is expressed.

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They also do not adhere to the 2018 update to the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Food and does not clarify whether food may be donated after the quality-based date.

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Liability Protection for Food Donation

The Dominican Republic currently lacks national liability protections for food donors and food recovery organizations, which can discourage potential donations. The General Law 358-05 on the Protection of the Rights of the

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Consumer and User recognizes strict liability of producers, importers, distributors, suppliers, if an injury results from a product defect or insufficiency. The law does not clearly extend to food donors or food recovery organizations.

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Mapping food donation policies around the world

The Atlas map compares food donation laws and policies in different countries and evaluates legislation across several issue areas. Use the map to see where your country stands and learn from best practices around the world.

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About Us

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Methodology

Read our detailed project methodology rooted in inclusion, accuracy, and transparency.

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