Donate surplus food from your business
What can be donated?•Fruitsandvegetables •Bakedgoods
•Frozenfoods •Bulkfoods
•Meatanddairyproducts
•Packagedfoodsthathavenotbeenopened
•Prepareditemsthathavenotbeenserved
Foodthatisspoiledormoldy,hasbeenservedorhasnotbeenkeptaccordingtofoodsafetyrulescannotbedonated-OAR603-025-0030andOAR333-150-0000.Workwithyourpartneringfoodrescueorganizationstodeterminewhattheycantakeandtocreateascheduleforpickup.Nomatterthesizeorfrequencyofyourdonation,itstillmakesadifferencetothosewhoneedit.
Why donate surplus food?•It’s safe.OregonandfederalGoodSamaritan lawsprotectyourbusinessfromliabilitywhenyou donatefoodingoodfaiththatyourbusiness believestobesafeandedible.
•It’s easy.Manyfoodrescueorganizations canprovideyouwithcontainers,pickupthe foodonaregularscheduleandprovideyouwith documentationforyourrecords.
•It’s good for your business. Notonlycanyou saveonyourgarbagebill,yourdonationmay qualifyforanenhancedtaxdeduction.Askyour accountantaboutpotentialdeductions.Donating excessfoodalsoboostsemployeemorale.
•It’s good for your community.Donatedfoodgoes tofeedthesomeofthe30percentofOregon childrensufferingfromfoodinsecurityaccording toresearchbycharity,FeedingAmerica.Plus, keepingfoodoutofthelandfillcontributestoa cleanerenvironment.
Remember: WashingtonCountyDepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesremindsyoutopleasefollowfederal,stateandlocalregulationsforsafefoodhandlingforyourdonations.• Hot foods should be kept hot at 135 degrees F or above.• Cold foods should be kept at 41 degrees F or below.• Cross-contamination should be avoided.• Prepared foods should be cooled rapidly to a safe temperature.
Note: Washington County does not provide legal advice and no person should rely on this information as legal advice.
For more information contact the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program
at 503-846-3605 or [email protected]
Your donations in action:
Eachweek,non-profitPotluckintheParkusesupto6,000poundsofdonatedfoodtofeedover600peopleinneedeachSunday.Theirvolunteerdriversregularlypickupbulk,packaged,refrigeratedandfrozenfoodsfrombusinessesincludinggrocers,wholesalers,hotels,restaurantsandcaterers.Thentrainedvolunteerspreparenourishingmealsusingsafefoodhandlingguidelinesinalicensedfacility.Itisbecauseofthegenerosityofdonorslikeyouthatpeopleinneedareabletoenjoyahotmeal.
How does it work?1.Identifythetypesandamountsofsurplusfood generatedbyyourbusiness.
2.Gotowww.ForkItOver.orgtofindafoodrescue organizationthatsuitsyourneeds.
3.Packageyourdonationinfood-safebagsor containers,labelthefoodandstoreitsafely.
4.Arrangewithyourpartneringfoodrescue organizationfordistribution.Mostorganizations willpickupfoodfromyourbusiness.
5.Allowthefoodrescueorganizationstoredistribute thefoodtothoseinneed.
Liability protectionFederalandOregonlawsprotectyoufromliabilitywhenyoudonatefoodingoodfaith.Thelawsaremeanttoencouragedonationofneededfoodsandprotectdonors.
OregonGoodSamaritanlaws(ORSChapter30.890and30.892)andtheFederalGoodSamaritanlaw(TheBillEmersonFoodDonationAct)statethatyoucannotbeheldliableifyouhavedonatedfoodyoubelievetobesafeandedible–eventhoughthisfoodmaynotbeeasilysoldduetoappearance,age,freshness,grade,sizeorothercondition.However,foodmuststillmeetallfederal,stateandlocalqualityandlabelingstandards.
Oregonlawsstategood-faithdonorsofanyfood,apparentlyfitforhumanconsumption,shallnotbesubjecttocriminalpenaltyorcivildamagesarisingfromtheconditionofthefood,unlessinjuryiscausedbythegrossnegligence,recklessnessorintentionalmisconductofthedonor.ForinformationontheGoodSamaritanlaws,contacttheOregonDepartmentofAgriculture,at503-986-4720orgotowww.Oregon.gov/ODAformoreinformation.
Thefederalactprotectsdonorsfromliabilitywhentheydonatetoanonprofitorganization.ItalsostandardizesdonorliabilitywithintheU.S.
For more information about food safety standards contact the Washington County Environmental Health Program at 503-846-8722 or [email protected]
