NYS Bill Requires Supermarkets To Donate Excess Food

GREENBURGH, NY — A bill that addresses hunger and food insecurity was signed into law in New York.

Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, D-Greenburgh/Mount Pleasant, said Gov. Kathy Hochul signed his "Food for the Hungry" bill that will require supermarkets to provide excess food to food relief organizations.

"Hunger in New York is a reality, even here in Westchester," Abinanti said.

The new law extends for five years the "excess edible food law" passed in 2020 and helps ensure continued food donations to local and community-based food relief organizations while also reducing the amount of food waste diverted to solid waste landfills, according to a news release.

Abinanti said the pandemic has exacerbated the problem for many families who are having difficulty putting food on the table.

"We cannot have parents skipping meals for their kids, seniors skimping on their medicines and kids going to school without lunch when supermarkets are filling landfills with edible food," he said.