IUSD Actions
Food recovery means collecting edible food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to feed people in need. This is the highest and best use for food that would otherwise go to waste. Feeding hungry people through food recovery is the best use for surplus food and a vital way for the State and IUSD to conserve resources and reduce waste thrown in landfills.
While IUSD proactively reduces food waste by ordering an accurate amount of food for each school, when there is a large excess of edible food, IUSD partners with and donates food to Second Harvest.
Another way IUSD collects edible food is through food recovery share boxes, which are carts or tables where students and staff can place unconsumed food and beverage items. These tables allow other children to take additional helpings of food or beverages at no cost and help curb additional food waste to end up in landfills.
Senate Bill 1383 and Food Recovery
Additionally, effective in 2024, schools and local education agencies with an on-site food facility will be required to recover edible food.
To reduce food waste and help address food insecurity, SB 1383 requires that by 2025 California will recover 20 percent of edible food that would otherwise be sent to landfills, to feed people in need. The law directs the following:
- Organizations, including IUSD, must establish food recovery programs and strengthen their existing food recovery networks
- Food donors must arrange to recover the maximum amount of their edible food that would otherwise go to landfills
- Food recovery organizations and services that participate in SB 1383 must maintain records