This paper examines the primary impact of two categories of food recovery policies on food donation and the secondary impact on food safety, food waste, and food insecurity in U.S. states. Food donation can reduce food waste while mitigating food insecurity, and it can be promoted in U.S. states through liability protection policies that provide legal protection to food donors and through tax policies that financially reward food donors via deductions and/or credits. To evaluate the effects of these policies, state food recovery policies were coded and compared. Using data from multiple sources, this study found a correlation between states with stronger liability protection policies and more food donations, and between states that provide tax incentivizes and more food waste. This paper discusses the implications of these findings.
