What food businesses need to know
Through Project DASH, we’re fighting hunger and reducing food waste by facilitating the pick up and delivery of donated surplus food. For both donors (restaurants and food businesses) and nonprofits (food pantries and shelters), that means convenience — and more time to focus on their missions while we help with what we do best: logistics.
Since launching Project DASH in January, we’ve powered more than 3,500 deliveries of over 200,000 pounds of donated food from restaurants to hunger-relief nonprofits. But we know we can do even more. We wanted to find out what might be holding people back. Here are a few common myths about food donation that we’ve had to dispel along the way.
Myth: Donating surplus food isn’t safe.
When we talk about donated surplus food, we aren’t talking about pizza crusts or half-eaten meals. We’re talking about high-quality, unopened, unserved food. It’s the excess that results from overstocking ingredients and prepping more than is served. Donations must adhere to food safety standards, including temperature.
Myth: I’m taking on legal risks by donating food.
A single American restaurant might waste up to 100,000 pounds of food per year. This food is often thrown away instead of donated. One of the most common reasons is the fear of being sued.
But in 1996, Congress passed the federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Under this law, those who donate food in good faith to nonprofits for distribution to people in need are exempt from liability in the event that the donated product causes harm. In other words, you can’t be held liable if anyone gets sick from donated food (except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct).
Since the passing of the Good Samaritan Act more than twenty years ago, no one has ever been sued for a food donation.
(In case you’re wondering: Mr. Emerson was a Republican congressman from Missouri who fought hard for the proposal but died of cancer three months before it was passed.)
Myth: I don’t have any surplus food to donate.
Some restaurants have such efficient kitchen protocols that they produce almost zero food waste. We should celebrate this accomplishment!
One common source of surplus food is new store openings: when new employees are being trained, they “practice” preparing menu items, which temporarily results in large amounts of excess unserved food.
For others, food waste results from the need to strike a balance between over- and under- production. Consider bagel shops for example. There needs to be enough bagels to sell to all customers, but not too many since the bagels must be baked fresh daily. Based on its operations, each food business has an “optimal” level of food waste, and some of that may be eligible for donating.
Myth: It’s more expensive to donate food than to just throw it out.
Across the country, many impactful organizations help businesses donate their surplus food. Some of may charge a fee for their services, while others (such as our partner MealConnect) are free to use. Those that work with DoorDash to power deliveries of donated food make it even easier to donate by taking transportation out of the equation.
Reducing waste can help businesses save money by saving on upfront costs, time, and waste collection fees. In addition, donations may be tax-deductible.
Myth: Throwing my surplus food in the garbage isn’t such a big deal.
Get this: it takes 25 years for a head of lettuce to decompose in a landfill. With limited exposure to oxygen and pests, decomposition happens very….very slowly. Throughout the process, food in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Government agencies are taking note. This October, Austin, TX implemented a new rule barring restaurants from tossing food into the trash, requiring that the food be donated to people in need (preferably), sent to local farms, or composted. The state of California recently set out to reduce the disposal of organic waste by 75%, with 20% recovered for human consumption, by 2025.
Wherever you live, and whether it’s required or not, think twice when discarding surplus food: could it be composted? If you run a food business, could your surplus be donated to a local community organization serving people in need?
By powering the logistics of food rescue, we hope to help make food donation a widespread practice. There is still a long way to go. But we invite you to help dispel these myths and join the movement for a waste-free future.
Are you a business interested in working with us to donate your surplus food? Email projectdash@doordash.com.
Donating Food: Five Myths was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.