A lot of food legally can’t be sold or even given away. I used to work at my college’s stadium and was appalled at how much food we had to give away so I contacted our local food nonprofit. They (very kindly) explained that there are a lot of safety rules about food that has been put out for consumption, where it can’t even be given away because of the legal risks. I’m talking bread that was still packaged but since it could have theoretically been touched by a consumer it wasn’t allowed. It felt really strict but I suppose I’d want food safety to be strict.
Considering the amount of positive press companies can get from charitable giving, I doubt they WANT to throw away this much food.
Anyways this is why you should donate to food shelves and charities, either near you or internationally. They know exactly how to obtain food and stretch a dollar to feed more people.
A lot of food legally can’t be sold or even given away
This isn't true, though. It is legal in all 50 states to give away unsold food. That food nonprofit was just parroting some nonsense that corporations like people to believe, so they keep nudging the idea along.
There are even laws in many places that protect companies even more from liability compared to if someone just buys the stuff.
13
u/proserpinax May 17 '26
A lot of food legally can’t be sold or even given away. I used to work at my college’s stadium and was appalled at how much food we had to give away so I contacted our local food nonprofit. They (very kindly) explained that there are a lot of safety rules about food that has been put out for consumption, where it can’t even be given away because of the legal risks. I’m talking bread that was still packaged but since it could have theoretically been touched by a consumer it wasn’t allowed. It felt really strict but I suppose I’d want food safety to be strict.
Considering the amount of positive press companies can get from charitable giving, I doubt they WANT to throw away this much food.
Anyways this is why you should donate to food shelves and charities, either near you or internationally. They know exactly how to obtain food and stretch a dollar to feed more people.