Just before adjourning for the end of the year, Congress passed a bill to incentivize more food donations to reduce hunger and food waste. The Food Donation Improvement Act passed with broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, requiring only a voice vote in the House and receiving unanimous consent in the Senate. The legislation strengthens liability protections for qualified direct donors who donate food, or sell it at a Good Samaritan reduced rate (no greater than the cost of handling, administering, and distributing the food or product), directly to people in need.
The goal of the bill is to reduce legal concerns that have led to some food being thrown away rather than donated. According to the bill, a qualified direct donor shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product that the qualified direct donor donates in good faith to a needy individual. USDA is directed to issue regulations within 180 days that clarify the quality and labeling standards that donated products must meet to be eligible for liability protection under that Act.
