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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/25/2024 07:10 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20130&cosponId=20892
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: October 24, 2016 04:40 PM
From: Senator Lisa M. Boscola and Sen. Richard L. Alloway, II
To: All Senate members
Subject: Resolution - November 2016 as "Food Pantry Donation" month in Pennsylvania
 
In the near future, we will be reintroducing a resolution to encourage food donation, and recognize November 2016 as "Food Pantry Donation" month in Pennsylvania.

Food banks, while laudably attempting to reduce hunger hardship & food insecurity, still fall short in providing adequate food supplies to hungry Pennsylvanians. Despite this, a typical restaurant on average produces 150,000 pounds of food waste each year.

The USDA reports that food lost to waste in the United States is roughly estimated at 30 to 40 percent of our supply, and such waste has far-reaching impacts. The land, water, labor, energy and other inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food is squandered.

Nearly 25 years ago, the Pennsylvania General Assembly amended the Judiciary Code (Title 42), section 8338 to provide for reduced liability for damages from donated food and grocery products. This “Good Samaritan” provision allows for restaurants, grocery stores, and other entities that produce and sell food to donate their excess to food banks, and unless negligence or willful provision of expired food can be proven, to be held free of liability in a civil lawsuit if a person should unfortunately become ill from the donated food.

Because of the excess of consumable food being disposed while our friends and neighbors starve, we have thought it necessary to draw attention to this provision in Title 42 and encourage businesses such as restaurants to take advantage of “Good Samaritan” provisions to reduce their food waste and help feed our communities.

Please join us in co-sponsoring this resolution to help end hunger in Pennsylvania.


Introduced as SR486