IUSD is committed to reducing food waste and combating food insecurity with the Edible Food Recovery and Donation Program. This initiative ensures that surplus food from our schools, which would otherwise be thrown away, is instead redirected to feed those in need.
Food recovery involves collecting edible food that would have gone to waste and redistributing it to people facing hunger. Through this program, IUSD is doing its part to both reduce food waste and contribute to the well-being of the community.
Community Support
While IUSD proactively manages food orders to limit surplus, there are times when excess edible food remains. In these cases, IUSD partners with Abound Food Care and South County Outreach to help ensure this food doesn’t go to waste. The food that students do not take during meal times is collected, delivered to South County Outreach, and distributed to families in need.
Learn more about IUSD’s process of turning leftover food into community support:
Support at School Sites
An essential part of our program includes food recovery share boxes, which are boxes placed on carts or tables near the cafeteria at various school sites. Students and staff can leave unopened, packaged food from school cafeteria-created meals in these boxes, allowing others to take additional servings at no cost. This simple yet effective solution reduces food waste while providing extra food for students and preventing more waste from ending up in landfills.
California Law and Food Recovery
IUSD’s efforts align with California Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), which requires schools and local education agencies with on-site food facilities to implement food recovery programs. Under this law, organizations like IUSD must work to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise go into landfills.
Together, we are able to make a difference one food item at a time!
Learn more about this process at our Edible Food Recovery webpage.