United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA530-F-96-038
September 1996
Donating Surplus
Food to the Needy
or restaurants, hotels, and companies with
foodservice operations, donating surplus food to
the needy can be a great way to make use of excess
food. Several WasteWi$e partners have begun to donate
their excess food as part of their waste reduction programs.
Establishing a food donation program can serve as a
partner's waste prevention goal. Beyond the environmental
and cost savings benefits of food donations, your company
will have the satisfaction of knowing you have helped feed
someone who otherwise might have gone hungry.
There are two kinds of food donation programs that
provide food to the needy.
Traditional food banks focus
primarily on distributing large
volumes of non-perishable food
that is generally dried, canned, or
prepackaged.
Prepared and Perishable Food
Programs (PPFPs — also called
food recovery programs or surplus
food distribution programs)
redistribute small volumes of
freshly prepared foods and
perishables.
Traditional food banks generally
work with the food industry to
distribute surplus food inventories
or with institutions that hold
" food drives" for the needy.
Companies with excess non-
perishable food may wish to
contact a food bank for
distribution. In the past decade,
PPFPs have become an
increasingly common way for
companies, restaurants, hotels,
institutions, and
others to donate
surplus food to the
needy. This tip sheet
focuses on donating
food through PPFPs.
WASTE
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DONATING DETAILS
Food Program
Services
Most PPFPs offer the following services.
Check with your local program for the
details of what they offer.
Free pick-up. Most food programs have a
pick-up schedule, which takes into account
the donor's schedule and pick-up
preferences. Food programs generally will
pick up food on a daily, weekly, or on-call
basis.
Trained food handlers. Employees and
volunteers working for food programs are
trained in sanitation, food inspection and
sorting, and food handling by the local
health department and will come equipped
to inspect food for safe transport to the
receiving agency.
Publicity. Many food service programs will
publicize their donors to acknowledge their
support. Some food donation organizations
provide donors with a sticker, certificate, or
other material to help alert customers of
the company's participation. Others seek
media coverage to help recognize their
donors.
Donor
Responsibilities
Food recovery programs only accept
unserved food that can be safely transported
and reused. If you are planning to make a
donation to a PPFP, you should:
• Ensure that the food is within the
expiration date
• Keep food at a safe temperature (below
40 or above 140 degrees)
• Check the food for signs of spoilage
Most food programs strictly limit the kinds
of food they will accept; for instance, some
will not accept mayonnaise salads and raw
meat because of the high risk of spoilage.
Food recovery programs often ask donors to
store food awaiting pick-up in reusable air-
tight containers, which the program usually
provides. Food recovery programs also
strongly recommend that you cool down
and refrigerate or freeze any heated left-
overs to be picked up late in the day or the
next morning. It is important to ensure that
food is not left in the temperature "danger
zone" (between 40° and 140°) for more than
two hours.
Common Concerns
Am I liable for damages if the
food spoils or causes injury,
even if I have stored it
properly?
Will I need to provide my
employees with special
training to prepare food for
donation?
Will preparing food for
donation require extra time?
To protect food donors, all fifty states and the District of
Columbia have enacted "Good Samaritan" laws that specifically
address food donations. While the language of these laws varies
from state to state, most good Samaritan food distribution laws
extend some level of protection from liability unless there is
evidence of "negligence," "recklessness" or "intentional
misconduct" on the part of the donor. Many food rescue programs
will provide you with a letter of indemnification or a "hold
harmless" letter that outlines your liability as a donor.
Since your kitchen or cafeteria staff should already be
knowledgeable about safe food handling practices, additional
training will most likely be unnecessary. In addition, food
recovery program staff are trained in proper food handling, sorting,
and transportation.
Many companies that participate in prepared/perishable food
donation programs say that little additional time or help is needed
to prepare food for donation — employees simply perform a
different task.
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SUCCESS STORIES
Hallmark: A Food
Donation Success
Story
/M ccording to Sally Luck, Manager of
I Corporate Services at Hallmark, a
A. AWasteWi$e partner in Kansas City,
MO, donating surplus food to the needy is a
wonderful way to reduce waste. Hallmark,
whose cafeteria serves 8,000 employees
daily, has been donating surplus cafeteria
food for more than five years. The company
currently gives 20,000 pounds of perishable
food to Kansas City Harvest, a local branch
of Foodchain (a national program described
below), each year. Starting the donation
program at Hallmark was very simple. An
internal team developed specific guidelines
for cafeteria employees so they would know
exactly how to store excess food. While it
took a little time to change employees'
habits of discarding surplus food to storing
it properly, Hallmark's employees were
very anxious to do something good for their
community. Management had some initial
concerns about liability, but after some
investigation managers developed a high
level of confidence in the local food
program. Hallmark now believes that the
capacity to perform a public service
through donation far outweighs any risk of
litigation. The program has been extremely
successful at Hallmark and has a positive
impact on both employee morale and the
company's public relations. According to
Luck, "Food recovery
programs are the answer to
the corporate foodservice
operator's dilemma of
what to do with
wholesome excess food."
Coca-Cola: Putting
Food on Atlanta's
*asteWi$e Charter partner Coca-
Cola's headquarters has been
donating its surplus food to
Atlanta's Table, a local branch of
Foodchain, since 1987. According to Franz
Halascheck, Coca-Cola's liaison for
Atlanta's Table, donating excess food has
been an entirely positive experience for the
company. "Coca-Cola's employees are
aware of the many homeless and hungry
people in Atlanta and are happy to be able
to help." Furthermore, the company does
not want to see good food go to waste. Staff
from Atlanta's Table provide Coca-Cola
with storage containers which are retrieved
once a week. Cafeteria employees simply
separate the food for donation and then
label and date the storage containers and
freeze or refrigerate them until pick-up
day—no extra time or training is necessary.
All excess food from Coke's cafeteria,
which serves 4,000 employees, as well as
leftovers from banquets and other special
events, is donated to the needy, diverting
an average of 200 pounds per week from
landfills. Halascheck cites concerns over
liability as a stumbling block that many
companies face when considering a
donation program for prepared and
perishable food, and reminds others that
good Samaritan laws are in place to protect
donors. In addition, he strongly
recommends that any company with
leftover food consider donating it to
the needy, as it is easy to do and
very worthwhile.
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Re:
_ sources
Laws governing food donations, as well
as procedures of local food recovery
programs, will vary from community
to community. If you are interested in
donating your company's excess food, you
can obtain more detailed information from
the following national resources:
• Foodchain — a network of prepared and
perishable food rescue programs
throughout the U.S. and Canada. Provides
listings of local organizations that accept
donations and distribute them to those in
need. 1-800-845-3008
• Second Harvest — operates a national
network of local food banks, working
mainly with the food industry to
distribute surplus food inventories.
Provides a nationwide listing of food
programs. 1-800-532-FOOD
• Share Our Strength — provides
information on local and state good
Samaritan laws as well as referrals to local
groups that can utilize food donations.
1-800-969-4767
For further information, you may also wish
to contact organizations in your
community, such as:
• State and local government offices
involved in social service, social welfare,
and health programs
• Your local chapter of the United Way
• Local charitable organizations
This tipsheet was developed by WasteWi$e, EPA's voluntary program which assists
businesses in taking cost-effective actions to reduce solid waste, through waste
prevention, recycling, and buying recycled products.
For more information on the WasteWi$e program, call 800 EPA-WISE
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