Throwing away food is worse than wasteful, it’s also bad for the environment. When food breaks down in landfills, it generates greenhouse gases, including methane. Since the passage of SB-1383 in 2016, California has been pushing to reduce its organic material below the 2014 baseline before 75 percent, according to CalRecycle Director Rachel Machi Wagoner.
“What that means is roughly we need to get to less than 5 million tons of organic waste in our landfills.
She equated it to removing 3 million cars off California roads.
Part of the law includes food recovery from businesses to help reduce food waste and address food insecurity. By 2025, SB 1383 requires California will recover 20% of edible food that would otherwise be in landfills.
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In 2022 Tier 1 of SB 1383 required grocery stores of 10,000 square feet or more, food service providers, food distributors, and wholesale vendors to donate unsold food items. As of January 1, 2024, Tier 2 of the law is in place.
“Tier 2 actually includes restaurants, healthy facilities, state agencies with cafeterias, large venues,” Kate Garrett, Senior Manager of Supply Chain at Feeding San Diego, said.
That includes the San Diego Zoo. Millions of people visit yearly, but this world-famous zoo has also been working with Feeding San Diego to donate uneaten food.
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“Any food that has not been out to our buffets, to our dining, we are able to package all of those up, safely seal them, we ship them off over to our warehouse and Feeding San Diego comes and picks it up,” Lauren Campbell, Banquets and Catering at the San Diego Zoo, said.
Extra meals in the kitchen, from private parties to small VIP groups to local authorities, get donated. Campbell says on an annual basis, the San Diego Zoo has about 400 events.
“Being able to be here at the zoo and know that what we cannot use is being repurposed is very rewarding,” Campbell says.
The San Diego Zoo and Feeding San Diego have been in a partnership for over seven years, resulting in 31,000 meals for those in need. Now, there will be more opportunities like this.
“We’re now seeing that government officials, state officials, local officials are recognizing that food rescue is now a viable method for getting food to people rather than letting it produce methane in the landfill,” Garrett said.
For more than 15 years, Feeding San Diego has been rescuing food.
“We know that this works.”
The nonprofit partners with more than 170 other nonprofits, most trained on food safety. They’re able to reject or accept donations from businesses based on capacity or availability. The process can take anywhere from two hours to two weeks.
“They may even be able to distribute that out to San Diegans facing food insecurity that same day,” Garrett said.
Donations can be posted through MealConnect. It’s an online platform created by Feeding America where businesses can post a donation in real-time.
“They’re actually able to post a donation,” Garrett said. Feeding San Diego vets that within 3 business days.”
Garrett says through Tier other major organizations like Hotel Del Coronado and Snapdragon Stadium are also donating.
“This law really allows the community and San Diego at large to come together to make sure that we really are doing our best to help the environment and serve the people,” Garrett said. “And make sure that nothing that would have otherwise gone to the landfill is actually going to San Diegans in need.”
