Prevention is an important part of reducing food waste. Visit our Prevent Food Waste page for a list of resources, tools, and strategies.
For many businesses, prevention measures alone may not eliminate all surplus food. If your business or organization has surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, you will need to recover that food—i.e. collect and safely store all of that surplus food for pickup or delivery to your contracted Food Recovery Organization. To comply with SB 1383, you must be sure to recover, in a timely manner, all surplus food that is safe to eat and safe to recover.
It is important that donating, receiving, and distributing surplus edible food is done in a way that minimizes food safety risks. Our Food Safety Protocols page describes safe handling techniques and which foods are safe to recover. For example, food donors can donate prepared food but cannot donate food that they had previously served to a customer.
For industry-specific one-sheets about food waste prevention, safe food recovery, and SB 1383 compliance click here.
Our Tips and Tricks page dives deeper into the details of food recovery, helping you set up a program that is safe and effective.
Donating food saves money, reduces waste, helps those in need, and more!
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Comply with SB 1383, the new law that requires certain businesses to donate the maximum amount of their surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste
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Help the environment by reducing waste. Diverting food waste from the landfill will not only conserve valuable landfill space, but will also reduce methane emissions that heavily contribute to climate change
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Feed your neighbors. Nearly 5 million Californians struggle with food insecurity. Addressing food insecurity makes a huge difference to community members of all ages
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Benefit from tax incentives. Your company may be eligible for a tax deduction. See this guide for more information and consult with your tax advisor for guidance
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Save money on disposal fees
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Increase warehouse space or save on storage charges