Food Rescue Act
Officially: “Food Rescue Act” Read the full text
What it does
Read it in plain language
1Short title
This section would let the Act be called the Food Rescue Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Food Rescue Act .
2Establishment of national food rescue system
This section would amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 by adding a new section 216 that creates a national food rescue system. The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Food and Nutrition Service, would establish and operate this system to coordinate the recovery, processing, transportation, and distribution of surplus and donated food to emergency feeding organizations and food-insecure communities. In carrying this out, food rescue organizations would identify sources of surplus or excess food across the agricultural, retail, manufacturing, and distribution sectors; develop and maintain partnerships with nonprofit food rescue organizations, food banks, and local agencies to recover and distribute that food; expand and strengthen logistics and infrastructure needed for food rescue, including aggregation sites, transportation, cold-chain storage, and last-mile delivery; support technology platforms and data systems used to identify, track, and redirect surplus food; and provide technical assistance to participating entities to improve efficiency and coordination. The Secretary would establish a competitive grant program to fund these activities. Grants would be awarded to food rescue organizations, which could carry out projects in partnership with food banks, food recovery networks, State, local, Tribal, or Territorial governments, logistics providers, front-line emergency food providers, and other relevant partners. Grant funds could be used for food rescue and recovery operations, including gleaning and aggregation; transportation and delivery of surplus food, including cold-chain logistics; storage, processing, or repackaging infrastructure needed for redistribution; technology used to match surplus food with receiving organizations in real time; personnel, equipment, or operational needs that support food rescue activities; and administrative costs, as the Secretary determines appropriate. An entity seeking a grant would have to submit an application to the Secretary, at the time, in the manner, and containing the information the Secretary requires, including a description of the proposed project and its expected food-rescue impact (including estimated pounds of food recovered and households served), identification of participating partners such as producers, distributors, retailers, or logistics entities, a budget and implementation timeline, and a plan for sourcing, transporting, storing, and delivering surplus food to emergency feeding organizations and food-insecure communities. The Secretary would have to coordinate these activities with programs already authorized under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, the Farm-to-Food Bank Project established under section 203D, and other USDA efforts to reduce food loss and waste. The section would authorize the appropriation of such sums as necessary to carry it out.
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2. Establishment of national food rescue system The Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 ( 7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 216. National food rescue system (a) Establishment The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Food and Nutrition Service, shall establish and operate a national food rescue system to coordinate the recovery, processing, transportation, and distribution of surplus and donated food to emergency feeding organizations and food-insecure communities. (b) Activities In carrying out subsection (a), food rescue organizations shall— (1) identify sources of surplus or excess food across the agricultural, retail, manufacturing, and distribution sectors; (2) develop and maintain partnerships with nonprofit food rescue organizations, food banks, and local agencies to recover and distribute such food; (3) expand and strengthen logistics and infrastructure necessary for food rescue, including aggregation sites, transportation, cold-chain storage, and last-mile delivery; (4) support technology platforms and data systems used to identify, track, and redirect surplus food; and (5) provide technical assistance to participating entities to enhance efficiency and coordination. (c) Grant program To carry out this section, the Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to support activities described in subsection (b). (d) Eligible entities Grants under this section shall be awarded to food rescue organizations, which may carry out projects in partnership with food banks, food recovery networks, State, local, Tribal, or Territorial governments, logistics providers, front-line emergency food providers, and other relevant partners. (e) Use of funds Grant funds may be used for— (1) food rescue and recovery operations, including gleaning and aggregation; (2) transportation and delivery of surplus food, including cold-chain logistics; (3) storage, processing, or repackaging infrastructure needed for redistribution; (4) technology used to match surplus food with receiving organizations in real time; (5) personnel, equipment, or operational needs that support food rescue activities; and (6) administrative costs, as determined appropriate by the Secretary. (f) Application requirements An eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— (1) a description of the proposed project and expected food-rescue impact, including estimated pounds of food recovered and households served; (2) identification of participating partners, including producers, distributors, retailers, or logistics entities; (3) a budget and implementation timeline; and (4) a plan for sourcing, transporting, storing, and delivering surplus food to emergency feeding organizations and food-insecure communities. (g) Coordination The Secretary shall coordinate activities under this section with— (1) programs authorized under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983; (2) the Farm-to-Food Bank Project established under section 203D; and (3) other USDA efforts to reduce food loss and waste. (h) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. .
3Conforming amendment
This section would amend section 203D(b) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 by inserting the phrase excluding funds appropriated under section 216 immediately after the phrase appropriated under this Act. As a result, wherever section 203D(b) refers to funds appropriated under the Act, that reference would no longer include funds appropriated under the new national food rescue system created by section 216, which section 2 of this bill would add.
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3. Conforming amendment Section 203D(b) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 ( 7 U.S.C. 7507(b) ) is amended by inserting (excluding funds appropriated under section 216) after appropriated under this Act .
Where it is
In the House.