Food Safety for Food Donations

This resource outlines guidelines and best practices for policies to ensure food safety in donation processes to protect public health and encourage more donations.

Achieving Zero Food Waste: A State Policy Toolkit

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

May 2023

In response to constituent demand, state leaders are at the forefront of advancing efforts to tackle food waste across the United States—ensuring food makes it to those experiencing food insecurity, creating jobs and economic opportunities, while also addressing environmental harms and climate change. FLPC, in collaboration with the Zero Food Waste Coalition, created this toolkit to similarly embolden officials and advocates from across the country to learn from each other’s successes and accelerate their own leadership and impact. This toolkit contains a range of tried and tested policies that states can use to prevent food waste and keep food out of landfills and incinerators.

Leveraging Child Nutrition Reauthorization to Reduce Food Waste

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

National

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Government Grants and Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations | Federal Advocacy

May 2021

This report outlines opportunities for Congress to leverage the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation to reduce food waste in federal child nutrition programs. It also highlights several administrative opportunities through which the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Food and Drug Administration could prioritize food waste reduction independent of Congressional action. This report suggests general changes to the Child Nutrition Act and changes specific to the child nutrition programs through the NSLP/SBP, CACFP, and WIC.

Food Recovery in the District of Columbia: A Legal Guide

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

October 2019

This legal guide answers some of the most common legal questions raised by businesses, schools, charities, and other stakeholders regarding food donation and food recovery in the District of Columbia. This guide was originally published in October 2017 and was updated in 2019 after the District adopted the Save Good Food Amendment Act.

Moving Food Waste Forward Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Pennsylvania

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

September 2017

The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic was commissioned by Philabundance to develop this report outlining legislative strategies and regulatory opportunities that could reduce food waste in Pennsylvania. The goal of this report is to understand how to build on best practices from across the country and address the unique strengths and challenges within Pennsylvania.

Don’t Waste, Donate: Enhancing Food Donations Through Federal Policy

Prevention | Recovery

National

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

March 2017

A number of federal laws and policies strive to enhance food recovery, yet many are out of touch with the evolving landscape of food donation and the effectiveness of others is limited by a number of barriers. This policy paper presents actions the federal government can take to better align federal laws and policies with the objective of increasing donation of safe surplus food.

Moving Food Waste Forward | Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Massachusetts

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State

February 2017

In October of 2016, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic released Keeping Food Out of the Landfill: Policy Ideas for States and Localities, a resource that provides detailed information on how states and local governments can contribute to local food waste reduction. This report applies and refines that resource to provide information and recommendations specific to Massachusetts stakeholders. Massachusetts stakeholders can use the information in this report to determine key priorities for next steps in policy change to further reduce the amount of food wasted in the state.

ReFED Policy Finder

Prevention | Recovery | Recycling

State | National

January 2017

Since 2017, FLPC and ReFED have partnered together on the Policy Finder, a tool which provides information on six policy areas that affect food waste nationwide: Date Labeling, Tax Incentives, Liability Protections, Food Safety for Food Donations, Animal Feed, and Organic Waste Bans. In addition to state laws, the Policy Finder provides an overview of current federal policies, proposed federal policies, and future policy goals. The Policy Finder is meant to be a tool for nonprofits, businesses, and government officials to understand current policies in their jurisdiction and nationwide and use this knowledge to advocate for better policies.

Keeping Food Out of the Landfill

Prevention | Recovery

State | National

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

October 2016

This toolkit was developed in response to the growing state and local interest in adopting policies to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. This toolkit surveys eight different policy areas that state and local governments can examine as methods to reduce food waste and increase food recovery. This toolkit also provides information about the relevant federal laws, because they often serve as a legal floor, on which states can layer additional protections or opportunities. This toolkit should be useful to legislators on the state and local levels and their staff members, to the vast array of potential food donors (including large and small businesses, farmers, food producers, manufacturers, schools, institutions, and end consumers), and to activists and concerned citizens seeking to use policy to reduce food waste. The suggestions and highlighted best practices are intended to provide context and resources for state and local actors as they seek to improve their local food recovery landscape.