Prevent wasted food.
Provide for people.
Preserve the planet.

Excess food from Tess & Baba’s ZERO WASTE WEDDING was donated to Providence Rescue Mission via Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, and scraps were composted with Epic Renewal.

 

Excess food marks a new beginning, not an end. I encourage anyone hosting an event to repurpose your leftovers.

Businesses and institutions are protected from civil and criminal liability when donating “Apparently Wholesome” excess food in good faith. This is thanks to the Food Donation Improvement Act, a federal law passed by President Biden in 2021 (to strengthen protections from the original Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, passed by President Clinton in 1996). Some states offer additional liability protections to further encourage food donation. For example, the Rhode Island Food Donation Act protections also apply to past-date foods if determined by the distributor to be wholesome. Need more convincing? Ask Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio.

Not only is food donation completely legal, it is encouraged by the government. Learn about Federal Tax Incentives and read the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic’s Legal Guide to Tax Deduction for Food Donation. In fact, several State Tax Benefits are offered as well!

 

FOOD RECOVERY SOLUTIONS

  • My motto is: "When you order the food, order the food pickup." The organizations I recommend leverage technology to enhance service reliability and provide a streamlined user experience for food generators, receiving organizations, and the volunteers/subcontractors who transport the food. These platforms use sophisticated technology to schedule pickups with the click of a button and ensure real-time, accurate metrics. They also offer easily downloadable food donation receipts, allowing businesses to measure their impact and receive tax credits.

    • FoodRecovery.org is an online platform that connects organizations with extra food to communities in need, championing sustainability by diverting edible food away from landfills. They recover food from businesses, schools, farms and institutions in all 50 states and DC. All for free.

    • Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC): Think of RLC as the Ride Share…for food. RLC leverages technology and enlists volunteer and paid RESCUERS to redistribute surplus food from businesses, schools, farms and institutions that serve people facing food insecurity. They will revolve around your schedule with no minimum requirement for pickup. RLC will rescue any food that is fit for consumption: prepared, unprepared, fresh, frozen or cooked.

  • If your remaining food is not fit for consumption, I recommend delivering food scraps to your local farm for animal feed; or eliminating waste as outlined in the EPA Wasted Food Scale:

    • Epic Renewal will help you make your special day an environmentally friendly one! From event composting to zero waste planning, they’re here to help from start to finish.

    • Groundwork RI’s Harvest Cycle Compost program collects food scraps from Providence area residences, restaurants and institutions by bicycle and processes them into a transformative resource for the urban growers of our community.

  • While they may not recover food from events, these resources offer valuable opportunities to repurpose surplus food and enhance food security.

    • Boston Area Gleaners improves food access by reducing waste at farms throughout Massachusetts.

    • Food For Free improves access to healthy food in Somerville, MA and surrounding areas.

    • Food Link rescues surplus fresh food and delivers it to community organizations throughout Greater Boston.

    • Food Rescue US in Boston engages volunteers to transfer excess fresh food from businesses to nearby agencies.

    • Hope’s Harvest in Rhode Island mobilizes volunteers to harvest surplus fruits and vegetables from farms, contracts with local growers, and pays for surplus produce — all for distribution to hunger relief agencies.

    • Spoonfuls (formally Lovin’ Spoonfuls) delivers unsold food to community programs throughout Massachusetts.

 

LEARN MORE

    • Food Recovery For RI is a six-week course hosted by University of Rhode Island to help you make the most of your food while exploring the intersection of the food system and the environment.

    • RI Food Policy Council works to build and maintain a network of committed stakeholders from across the local food system. They center equity, accessibility, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability, building a more just and resilient food system.

    • Southcoast Food Policy Council at Marion Institute is a coalition of food pantries, farms, foundations, and social service agencies working together to promote local food security: “a situation in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.”

    • CET helps food businesses throughout the USA work to identify prevention, recovery, and diversion solutions, seamlessly integrating them into existing operations. CET conducts an on-site or virtual meeting to learn more about a business and its unique needs, then provides a customized report with recommendations, all at no cost to the business or institution.

    • ReFED’s Solution Provider Directory encompasses all methods to repurpose food responsibly throughout the USA. Helpful resources include ReFED’s food loss monitor, food policy finder, and others.

    • Zero Food Waste Coalition engages with and informs policymakers on opportunities to prevent and reduce food loss and waste.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  • I am proud to help lead the Surplus Food Donation Workgroup as a Steering Committee Member of the RI Food Policy Council. Our primary objective is to pass Bills SB2757 and HB7995: TAX CREDIT FOR FOOD DONATION. We believe doing so will decrease wasted food and increase food donations to Rhode Island supplemental & emergency food provider organizations. If you are a Rhode Islander who would like to get involved, fill out this form.

  • Suggested Terminology:

    • Surplus/Excess/Extra/Leftover Food: an amount greater than needed. In retail, this may be food that is no longer sellable but is safe for consumption.

    • Food Scraps: Parts of food, typically uneaten (peels, pits, oils, etc.); Unfinished food: "plate scraps" or leftovers that went bad.

    • Wasted Food: Surplus Food or Food Scraps that ended up in the landfill instead of being recovered for recycling or redistribution.

    Why it matters: 

    • Perception: Say: “There’s food waste in the trash can.” Now say: “There’s wasted food in the trash can.” Which may be interpreted as acceptable vs. unacceptable? Terminology affects interpretation which leads our actions.

    • Dignity: If you were being served food donations, would you want to receive Food Waste or Extra Food? 

    • WIN – Propel food & nutrition security through repurposing unused food.

    • WIN – Improve health equity through increased access to wholesome foods.

    • WIN – Preserve the environment + better our health as a result.

    • WIN – Stretch tax dollars by extending the life of landfills.

    • WIN – Support businesses that donate leftovers through tax deductions and positive recognition.

    • WIN – Assist nonprofits: more food donated = more dollars for programs.

 

Questions and Feedback are welcome.