Community Food Rescue| Food Safety for Donors

Thank you for considering donating food to food assistance organizations! Below is everything you need to know to make sure your donated food is safe to send.

Watch our video

Watch this short, informative food safety video for food donors.

Guidelines for Food Donors video

***Disclaimer: This video includes handwashing shown at the 4-minute mark. The handwashing is correct, but there’s a subtle yet important error in hand drying. The correct method is to dry hands first, then wrists, then forearms, so that the potentially unwashed areas are the LAST thing to be dried.

Proper Handwashing for Food Service Workers

Watch this informative food safety webinar.

Food Safety Webinar from Community Food Rescue on Vimeo.

Food Safety Guidelines and Brochures

All CFR participants must follow county approved Food Safety Guidelines for safe handling, transportation and distribution of rescued food, which are available for download and printing.

How do you know if food is safe to eat, even if the label is past the current date or a can is slightly dented? How do you properly store, thaw, cook, and freeze different types of foods? Read CFR’s Food Safety Brochure to find out, available as downloadable PDFs in these languages: English, French, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

If you’d like printed copies of English or and Spanish language brochures, please contact the Food Resource Team at FoodResources@mannafood.org.

Foods Suitable for Donation

Dry goods/non-perishables

Bulk foods

Items that come in volumes or portions larger than those ordinarily considered to be for immediate consumption and may need to be broken down into smaller portions for distribution.
Food must be in the intact, original packaging.
Bulk foods can only be repackaged in a licensed facility and all smaller portions must be packaged in sanitized or new food grade containers and labeled with: (1) food item including brand name, (2) ingredients, (3) date of repack, (4) distributor of original product, e.g. name of grocery store.

Bakery items

Produce

Frozen grocery store or factory prepared foods

Dairy products

Pre-packaged food

Fresh meat and seafood

Game meat

Deer meat may only may be donated if approved by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A meat cutter approved by the state health agency must process the game meat. The meat needs to be labeled: “Uninspected wild game meat, thoroughly cook to a minimum 165°F internal temperature.”
Livestock, poultry, or rabbits may be donated alive if raised by a member of an approved youth club, such as 4H. All livestock must be processed under USDA authority. A meat cutter approved by the Maryland Department of Agriculture must process the livestock, poultry, or rabbit meat.
The meat needs to be labeled with: (1) Name and address of producer, (2) identity of product, (3) Maryland issued number, (4) net weight, (5) “Exempt PL-90-492”, (6) Date of Slaughter and the statement (7) “thoroughly cook to a minimum 165°F internal temperature.”

Prepared food

Any type of prepared entrée such as grilled chicken, lasagna, pasta, salad, rice or soup that has been prepared at a commercial food service establishment such as a restaurant, cafeteria, or catered event but has not been served or offered to the public. Foods prepared in a home kitchen may not be donated.
Bread and unwrapped butter pats that have been served to a table but not eaten may not be donated.
Food must be in securely sealed, food grade packaging. Cold and hot items must be packed separately and held at the proper temperature. Sandwiches must be wrapped in clear plastic, wrap or foil.
Cold prepared products must be maintained at a temperature of 41˚F or below. Hot prepared products must be maintained at a temperature of 135˚F or above.
Donated prepared food should be labeled with (1) the name of the food, (2) ingredients (in descending order of quantity) (3) date prepared, (4) “use by” dates, (5) storage temperature, (6) Instructions to “Reheat quickly to internal temperature of 165˚F or above”, (7) donor name and contact information. Ingredient lists must indicate whether the food contains any of the following major allergens or derivatives of the following major allergens: milk; eggs; fish; Crustacean shellfish; tree nuts; wheat; peanuts; soybeans

Further Info

Foods Unsuitable for Donation

Any foods prepared, cooked, cooled or reheated at home
Perishable foods past a “use by” date, unless frozen
Foods previously served to consumers
Foods in sharply dented, swollen, bulging, leaking or rusted cans
Foods in opened or torn containers exposing the food to potential contamination
Unpasteurized milk and milk products
Foods with an “off” odor or that show any signs of spoilage (browning, slimy layer, unusual color)
“Distressed” foods. Including food that has been exposed to fire, flooding, excessive heat, smoke, radiation, other environmental contamination
Foods designated for discard per regulatory or donor standards
Alcohol

Food Labeling Requirements

Required Food Information

Food donors should be prepared to provide the following information, either verbally or in writing, to the recipient organization:

Source of the food
How the food was kept free from contamination during storage, preparation and transport
How, where, and when the food was prepared
How the food was maintained at the proper temperature
If/how long the food was out of temperature control
Common name of a dry food staple

The Good Samaritan Act Protects Food Donors from Liability

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act established in 1996, protects businesses that donate food in good faith from being held liable should someone become sick from the food. The only exception to the law is in the case of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Additionally, Maryland Health-General Code Ann §21-322, states, “A person [nonprofit corporation, organization, or association], shall have the immunity from liability for any act or omission that affects the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the donated food.”

Food Safety for Donors