States passing laws to assist food pantries

[phantom power]

As pantries across the nation face increasing demands for help, a growing number of states have enacted or are considering laws to make it easier for restaurants to donate leftover food to charities.

Ross Fraser of Feeding America, a national association of food banks, says the demand for free meals rose by an average of 30% in 2008, but some areas saw an increase of up to 70%.

Many of the new laws are designed to add extra liability protection for food donors:

• In Mississippi, a law that took effect July 1 allows the state Department of Health to authorize certain restaurants and cafeterias to donate leftover food. The step provides an extra layer of insulation for restaurants that fear liability, says Mike Cashion, executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association. Cashion says the law is the first in the state that explicitly protects restaurant donors.

In Nevada, a law that took effect July 1 protects donors of perishable food from civil liability.

In Massachusetts, a state House of Representatives committee is considering a bill that would provide tax credits to restaurants and cafeterias that donate food to charity.

A California bill aims to ease communication between food banks and restaurants willing to donate. The bill would establish a database containing the contact information of food outlets interested in donating their leftovers, making it easier for food banks to contact them.

Florida passed the "Jack Davis Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act" in 2008. The law, which specifically protected restaurants from liability, was named after an 11-year-old from South Florida who had alerted state legislators to the vast amounts of food discarded by local restaurants.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/sharing/2009-07-13-restaurantdonations_N.htm

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. Sounds good to me. nt

[Ilsa]

2. I think the liability protections are very important. I also think

states need to look at protecting the pantry or kitchen if they receive donated hunted meat if it was processed by a meat processor. The meat processor should be shielded as well from extreme financial hardship from lawsuit.

[ColbertWatcher]

3. This is excellent news. One question ...

... why is it posted in the "Environment/Energy" forum (as opposed to the Poverty forum or GD)?

[Nihil]

4. Not the OP author but I'd guess at a combination of ...

1) There have been past discussions of the impact of such laws in E/E.
and
2) Anything posted in GD that requires more than a kneejerk response tends
to sink rapidly, without even a few bubbles to show where a thought once
resided.
:P

[amyrose2712]

5. Great news. nt