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Edible Food Recovery

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BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS

Businesses play a huge role in supporting the City’s goal of Zero Waste through recovery of edible surplus food.

Certain large businesses (grocery stores, large institutions, etc.) and large public events participate in edible food recovery, though any business can donate surplus edible food. Edible food is defined as food that is intended for human consumption. The State of California requires certain types of businesses to donate edible food according to the phase-in approach described below:

Required as of January 1, 2022: Supermarkets, food service provider/ distributors, wholesale food vendors, or any grocery store with a facility of 10,000 square feet.

Required as of January 1, 2024: Restaurants with 250 or more seats, hotels with an onsite food facility, large venues, a state agency cafeteria, and health care facilities with 100 or more beds.

Commercial edible food generators are counted on to:

  • Recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed
  • Maintain records of edible food recovered, specifically:
    • Keep record of the name, address and contact information of the service or organization that collects its edible food for donation.
    • Keep record of the type of food that will be collected or self-hauled/back-hauled
    • Keep record of the established frequency that food will be collected or self-hauled/back-hauled
    • Keep record of the amount of food donated (in pounds)
  • Establish a written contract or agreement with a food recovery organization or service for collection of surplus food
  • Businesses can keep track of their donations by using the free CAREIT app available for downloading: https://careitapp.com

Note that the California Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects good faith food donors from liability in order to encourage food donations. The Act provides expanded liability protection for:

  • Donated food that has exceeded the labeled shelf life date
  • Food donations made directly to end users

FOOD RECOVERY SERVICES AND ORGANIZATIONS REQUIREMENTS

To assist the City in its efforts to track progress towards Zero Waste, food recovery services and organizations are required to report to the City quantities of food managed through their efforts. Organizations currently operating within the City include:

International Families Association
240 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Catholic Charities of LA (Loaves & Fishes)
4322 San Fernando Rd., Glendale CA 91204
(213) 318-5707

YWCA of Glendale & Pasadena
735 East Lexington Drive Glendale, California 91206
(818) 242-4155

Glendale Community College
1401 N Verdugo Rd, Glendale CA 91208
(818) 240-1000

Armenian Relief Society
517 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202
 (818) 241-7533

Glendale Adult Recreation Center
201 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205
 (818) 241-7533

LA Community Action Network
849 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 228-0024

Ascencia
1851 Tyburn St. Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 246-7900

Salvation Army
320 W. Windsor Rd., Glendale California 91204
(818) 246-5586 ext:1221

First Baptist Church of Glendale
209 N Louise St, Glendale, CA 91206

FoodCycle LA
1949 N Wilton Place. Los Angeles, CA 90068
(323) 897-9696

Food Finders
10539 Humbolt St, Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(562) 283-1400

One Generation
18255 Victory Blvd, Reseda, CA 91335
(818) 705-2345

St. Francis Center
1835 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 747-5347

Valley Food Bank
12701 Van Nuys Blvd Unit A, Pacoima, CA 91331
(818) 510-4140

Additional Resources: