Princeton Nonprofit Supports Legislation To Increase Food Donations

PRINCETON, NJ - A local non-profit recently met with state legislators to show support for a bill intended to stop food waste and fight food insecurity.

Share My Meals is part of a coalition promoting an amendment to legislation that would give food donors liability protection and grant them the flexibility to donate food that would otherwise go to waste.

On Tuesday, Share My meals President Isabelle Lambotte met with the teams of Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11 ) and Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-1) at an event. The non-profit advocated for passing the new bill intended to keep surplus food from landfills and redirect it to communities in need.

"The Food Donation Improvement Act (FDIA) will broaden protection to reassure food donors on their liability and will increase awareness on the two intertwined problems of food insecurity and food waste," said. "We strongly support the FDIA as it will help fight food waste and facilitate food donations."

Lambotte was accompanied by Victoire Cleren, and Stan Berteloot at the event hosted by Food Tank and WW International, policymakers, business leaders, and food waste experts.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, around 40 percent of food in the U.S. is wasted. The country spends an estimated $408 billion on growing, processing, transporting, storing and disposing of food that’s never consumed.

Congress passed the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act back in 1996 which encouraged companies to donate surplus food and grocery products to nonprofits by providing civic and criminal liability protection. However, many provisions of the bill remain unclear and businesses fear they could be sued if someone gets sick.

The Food Donation Improvement Act, introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), updates the Emerson Act and by strengthening liability protections for food businesses, including manufacturers, retailers, farmers, and restaurants who wish to donate surplus food.

It will also clarify existing guidance and best practices to help businesses donate food safely and without the risk of litigation.

“This bill will eliminate legal roadblocks that discourage food donations by restaurants, retailers, and others,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “Nearly 40 percent of our nation’s food goes to waste – creating a clear opportunity and imperative to help Americans going hungry every day. I’m proud to partner with Senator Toomey on this bipartisan effort to enable timely and efficient food donations to Americans facing food insecurity.”

Lambotte said Tuesday’s meeting was a “wonderful opportunity to advocate on our mission and to meet with other. As we all share the same objective, we understood the importance to work together to develop and implement common food safety protocols and share our operational technology tools, two major drawbacks to recover more meals.”

Started in January 2020, Share My Meals helps fight food insecurity and food waste by building partnerships with food service providers and distributing their surplus meals to the local food-insecure population. Since its inception, they have delivered over 93,000 meals in Princeton, Montgomery, Lawrenceville, and Trenton.

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