Edible Food Donation

To reduce unnecessary food waste and help address food insecurity, SB 1383 requires that by 2025, the state of California will recover and redistribute 20 percent of edible food that would have otherwise be sent to landfills.

What Is Edible Food? Edible food is food intended for people to eat, including food not sold because of appearance, age, freshness, grade, surplus, etc. Edible food includes, but is not limited to, prepared foods, packaged foods and produce. All edible food must meet the food safety requirements of the California Retail Food Code (PDF).

Who must donate edible food?   SB 1383 requires certain businesses that are defined as either a “Tier 1” or “Tier 2” edible food generators to recover edible food and make formal arrangements for items to be donated to organizations that will distribute food to food insecure individuals and families in the community. 

Tier 1 Generators:  These entities are required to recover the maximum amount of edible food that otherwise would have been disposed of by January 1, 2022 and include:

• Grocery Stores
• Supermarkets
• Food Service Providers
• Food Distributors
• Wholesale Food Vendors

Tier 2 Generators:  These entities are required to recover the maximum amount of edible food that otherwise would have been disposed of by January 1, 2024 and include: 

• Restaurants with 250 or more seats or greater than 5,000 square feet of facility space
• Hotels with on-site food facilities and 200 or more rooms
• Health facility with on-site food facility and 100 or more beds
• Large venues
• Large events
• State agencies with a cafeteria with 250 or more seats or greater than 5,000 square feet of cafeteria space
• Local education agencies with on-site food facility

More information about donations required by Tier 1 and Tier 2 generators can be found on CalRecycle's website.

What organizations can I donate to?   The City will periodically update the information below to ensure business know which organizations in Orange County accept food donations.