Edible Food Recovery

In addition to organic recycling, under SB 1383, certain businesses will be required to donate edible food to Food Recovery Organizations or Food Recovery Services.

Tier 1 Edible Food Generator

The following businesses that are defined as a “Tier 1 Edible Food Generator” are required to recover edible food starting January 1, 2022:

Grocery store – a store that is 10,000 square feet or more in size that is primarily engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any area that is not separately owned within the store where the food is prepared and served, including a bakery, deli, and meat and seafood departments.

Supermarket – a full-line, self-service retail store with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more that sells a line of dry grocery, canned goods, or nonfood items and some perishable items.

Food service provider – an entity primarily engaged in providing food services to institutional, governmental, commercial, or industrial locations of others based on contractual arrangements with these types of organizations.

Food distributor – a company that distributes food to entities including, but not limited to, supermarkets and grocery stores.

Wholesale food vendor – a business engaged in the wholesale distribution of food, where food is received, shipped, stored, or prepared for distribution to a retailer, warehouse, distributor, or other destination.

Tier 2 Edible Food Generator

Beginning January 1, 2024, the following businesses that are defined as a “Tier 2 Edible Food Generator” are required to recover edible food:

Restaurants – Facilities with 250 or more seats or a total facility size equal to or greater than 5,000 square feet

Hotels – Facilities with an on-site food facility and 200 or more rooms

Health facilities – Facilities with an on-site food facility and 100 or more beds

Large venues – Facilities that annually seats or serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals within of the facility per day of operation

Large Events – Events including, but not limited to, a sporting event, a flea market or a festival, that charges an admission price, or is operated by a local agency, and serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals per day of operation of the event, at a location that includes, but is not limited to, a public, nonprofit, or privately owned park, parking lot, golf course, street system, or other open space when being used for an event.

State Agencies – Facilities with a cafeteria with 250 or more seats or a total cafeteria facility size equal to or greater than 5,000 square feet

Local Education Agencies – Facilities with an on-site food facility.

Businesses may implement a food recovery program with various food recovery organizations, some of which are located right here in Southern California and include:

Additional Resources for Food Recovery

https://pw.lacounty.gov/epd/sbr/edible-food-recovery.aspx
https://www.fightfoodwastela.com/ 
https://lacounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/nearby/index.html?appid=3bb903aa101c4d28b086cfeb0ed547b2