Organizations join forces to support and implement Food Donation legislation

Albany, NY- September 15, 2021 – Feeding New York State, the support organization for the state’s network of ten food banks, is working closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to implement a three-year plan to divert some 37 million pounds of perfectly edible, “excess” food from entering landfills and, instead, be donated to any one of the food banks, food pantries or hunger relief organizations around the state.

New York State is addressing the dual crises of hunger in America and food waste by enacting the NYS Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law, which takes effect on January 1, 2022. The law states that organizations, businesses, and institutions producing at least four thousand pounds of excess food each week must donate edible food to a not-for-profit, and ensure the remaining unusable food is disposed of in an environmentally sound manner to the maximum extent possible.

In partnership with the DEC, Feeding New York State is working directly with affected businesses and institutions making it easy for them to connect with donation organizations to rescue good food and get it to New Yorkers in need. In addition to online information at https://feedingnys.org/food-scraps-recycling-law, Feeding New York State will be operating a call center to answer questions from food producers, those picking up and hauling the excess food, or from anyone interested in joining in this effort to help feed hungry New Yorkers.

“We’re excited to provide direct support and resources to the businesses impacted by this law,” said Dan Egan, executive director of Feeding New York State. “Our organization has been partnering with the food industry to manage donations since our inception. We are in a unique position to make it easy to connect businesses and institutions with the people that need their donations the most.”

The food rescued through this program will help feed more than 2.8 million food-insecure New Yorkers.  In too many cases, perfectly good, wholesome food ends up in landfills, producing methane gas, a major factor in global climate change. The Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law is a major step toward feeding our neighbors in need and reducing the environmental impact of excess food.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “DEC is proud to partner with Feeding New York State to help families address ongoing food insecurity challenges made worse by the pandemic. In addition to supporting Feeding New York State’s work to combat hunger in our communities, this initiative reduces food waste and materials that would otherwise be sent to landfills, preventing the creation of methane gas that contributes to climate change.”

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For more information: contact Feeding New York State * 518-930-7000

About Feeding New York State
Feeding New York State leads a unified effort for a hunger-free New York State. Our members are the ten food banks of New York state. We partner with other anti-hunger organizations to ensure every community in New York State has access to good, healthy food.

About the Department of Environmental Conservation
In August, DEC announced the adoption of final regulations to implement New York’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law. The law and implementing regulations are a critical step in addressing contributors to climate change and assisting those in need by supporting the donation of quality food. The full and final regulations can be found on the DEC website. For more information about food waste, go to DEC’s website.