By: Allie Wilson – Director of Northeast Operations

Hello from Allie at FoodRecovery.org. I’m sure your inbox is filled with messages from organizations like ours describing the impact of recent federal decisions and before you scroll on, hear me out. 

We wanted to take this opportunity to have a frank conversation regarding hunger in the US.

Since 2020, food pantries and food banks across the country have seen a drastic increase in people needing food assistance. In meetings with our community partners in 2021, it seems like we were always hearing that local pantries were seeing more people in need of food than ever before. My own community of Monmouth County, NJ, has seen a 25% increase in people facing food insecurity between 2019 and 2022.

While we have been facing increased food insecurity since the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue has been further exacerbated by the current administration.

The rising cost of living, unexpected increase in interest, tariffs that will actively impact the everyday consumer, bird flu causing the price of eggs to increase, and other barriers, has made food insecurity a reality for many Americans who were previously food secure. 

Even farmers are facing challenges that will further food access barriers. Farmers are facing financial uncertainty due to the government funding freeze, making it even more difficult for them to produce food and maintain a livelihood for themselves and their families. Since about  half of farmworkers in the US are undocumented, farms are forced to meet demand while their workforce diminishes due to threats of mass deportation. These factors and others will further raise the price of food and, you guessed it, cause even more food insecurity.

On top of the issues mentioned above, organizations that have been fighting hunger are facing significant challenges as well.

Like many nonprofit organizations, FoodRecovery.org relies on grant funding to run our programs. Each year, we apply to many grants to raise enough money to continue and expand our food recovery work across the country. We have received funding from government grants through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and previously received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to a recent study by the Urban Institute, 2/3rds of nonprofits surveyed received at least one government grant or contract. Funding from government institutions allows nonprofits nationwide to function, allowing us to continue providing millions of pounds of food to communities in need across the country.

Unfortunately, due to the recent government funding freeze, we and our partners across the country are in a lurch. While a judge recently overturned this decision, we still cannot access the funding that was previously granted to us. The government website where we submit receipts and invoices to is not working. This creates a lot of uncertainty in our work, taking our attention away from providing food to our partners across the country and making us focus on fundraising and other grants while we wait for the governmental grant portal to work. It’s inefficient, stressful, and keeps us away from our mission.

As we continue to face these challenges, we at FoodRecovery.org are further leaning into our connections across the country to provide support where we can. Now every community is a community in need. Every community. 

And in moments like these, communities come together and collaborate to overcome their struggles. We’ve witnessed it during the COVID pandemic, and we see it today as we fight record breaking levels of food insecurity. 

FoodRecovery.org isn’t just about FoodRecovery.org. It is about individuals, families, households, shelters, food receiving partners, and so many more. Foodrecovery.org is an ecosystem of people who care for one another, and work relentlessly so that no child, no family, no one, lives in food insecurity, not today, not ever. 

Our work is even more crucial now. Providing food to organizations across the country, to community fridges, shelters and food pantries in our neighborhoods and yours, that serve people like you and me who may be facing food insecurity. Now more than ever, we are looking for support from our community.

If you would like to support FoodRecovery.org, please check out our general fundraising page. 

Financial donations go towards the transportation of food donations, logistic coordination of food donations across the country, and more. If you aren’t in a position to donate financially, you can help us by spreading the word about FoodRecovery.org via social media- you never know who can reach through a post! 

Lastly, if you’d like to donate your time and volunteer with us, reach out to us at hello@foodrecovery.org.

Let’s continue to confront food insecurity through collaboration and community!

By: Ellen Schoenberg – Project Manager

Background

In America, food waste is the largest contributor to municipal solid waste in landfills. According to the FDA, a staggering 30 – 40% of America’s food supply goes to waste. This waste equals over 133 billion pounds of food and over $161 billion worth of food. In fact, the harmful carbon dioxide emissions generated from food waste sitting in landfills are equivalent to 42 coal-fired power plants. Yet simultaneously, 1 in 8 Americans are food insecure.

SB-1383

To address these concerns in his state, in 2016, California Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy (commonly referred to as SB-1383) into law. This law has two goals: 

1. Reduce organic waste disposal by 75% in California by 2025
2. Rescue at least 20% of California’s currently disposed surplus food for people to eat by 2025

SB-1383 Compliance

These goals aim to simultaneously combat food waste and food insecurity in California. In order to achieve these two goals, the law requires food-generating businesses in California to donate any surplus food they may generate to a local nonprofit that distributes food to community members in need. 

Legal Consequences

If businesses refuse to donate their surplus food, they will face legal consequences. According to CalRecycle, “For violations occurring after January 1, 2024, the jurisdiction shall issue a Notice of Violation requiring compliance within 60 days. If after 60 days, the entity is still not in compliance, the jurisdiction shall impose penalties.” The penalties for businesses who refuse to comply are as follows: 

• First violation: $50-$100 per violation
• Second violation: $100-$200 per violation
• Third or subsequent violation: $250-$500 per violation

A SB-1383 Compliance Solution: FoodRecovery.org

At FoodRecovery.org, we are a solution for businesses looking to comply with this law. We use our online database to help restaurants, warehouses, grocery stores, and event venues donate their surplus food to local nonprofits including food pantries, churches, and emergency shelters. We recovered and donated over 52 million pounds of food and supplies last year, we hope to recover even more food in 2024! 

There are many benefits for donating food with FoodRecovery.org!

• We provide written agreements to California food-generators willing to donate food
• We keep track of all donations for SB-1383 compliance and because food donations are tax-deductible
• Our platform is completely free to use!
• Donations do not need to be regular and we have no minimum donation requirements. We’ve taken donations from 10 lbs to 40,000 lbs. 
• We offer free transportation for donations over 40 pounds
• Businesses are not liable for any food donated in good faith under the Food Donation Improvement Act

If your California business would like to donate food to comply with SB-1383, please email California@foodrecovery.org or call (202) 449-1507.

References:

1. “California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy.” CalRecycle Home Page, CA.gov, calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024. 
2. “Food Loss and Waste.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste.
3. Buzby, Jean. “Food Waste and Its Links to Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change.” USDA, 24 Jan. 2022, www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/01/24/food-waste-and-its-links-greenhouse-gases-and-climate-change#:~:text=EPA%20estimated%20that%20each%20year,42%20coal%2Dfired%20power%20plants. 
4. Bernhardt C, King C. Telehealth and food insecurity screenings: challenges and lessons learned. Mhealth. 2022 Jan 20;8:10. doi: 10.21037/mhealth-21-31. PMID: 35178441; PMCID: PMC8800207.
5. “Frequently Asked Questions about Implementing SB 1383.” CalRecycle , calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/faq/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024. 

“Enforcement Questions and Answers.” CalRecycle , calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/faq/enforcement/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.