{"id":677,"date":"2021-12-19T19:43:06","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T19:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/?page_id=677"},"modified":"2026-08-04T16:15:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:15:56","slug":"food-donation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/food-donation\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Inspectors &amp; Food Donation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Health Inspectors<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Health inspectors <\/strong>have the opportunity to encourage food facilities, such as restaurants and cafeterias, to participate in <strong>food<\/strong> <strong>donation<\/strong>. Preventing food from contributing to waste by redistributing it to those in need helps tackle <strong>food insecurity<\/strong>, benefits the <strong>environment<\/strong>, and helps to reserve <strong>resources<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Many food facilities are unaware of food donation protocols and feel discouraged from donating food due to a lack of knowledge. Health inspectors can play an active role in food waste reduction by educating food facilities on how to keep excess food in proper condition to be donated and how to successfully donate food. Food facilities that donate food are protected from liability by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/technical-guidance-safe-food-donation.pdf\">[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">A well-informed and involved health inspector can make a big difference in preventing food waste. Rutgers Cooperative Extension partnered with Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic to create legal fact sheets for New Jersey food donations.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_709\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-709\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/chlpi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/NJ-Liability-Protection-Fact-Sheet-Final-2.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-709\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/liability-protections-150x150.png\" alt=\"Liability Protections legal fact sheet screenshot.\" width=\"250\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/liability-protections-300x258.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/liability-protections-768x661.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/liability-protections.png 1009w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-709\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Liability Protections<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-710\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/chlpi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/NJ-Animal-Feed-Fact-Sheet-v3-final.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-710\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/food-scarps-for-animals-150x150.png\" alt=\"Food scraps for animals legal fact sheet screenshot.\" width=\"250\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/food-scarps-for-animals-300x255.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/food-scarps-for-animals-768x652.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/food-scarps-for-animals.png 1015w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Food Scraps for Animals<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_711\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/chlpi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/New-Jersey-Tax-Incentives-Legal-Fact-Sheet_Final_2.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-711\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/tax-incentives-150x150.png\" alt=\"Tax incentives legal fact sheet screenshot.\" width=\"250\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/tax-incentives-300x255.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/tax-incentives-768x654.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/tax-incentives.png 1008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Tax Incentives <\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_712\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-712\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/chlpi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NJ-date-labeling-legal-fact-sheet_Final-Edits44.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-712\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/Date-labels-150x150.png\" alt=\"Data labels legal fact sheet screenshot.\" width=\"250\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/Date-labels-300x257.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/Date-labels-768x659.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/01\/Date-labels.png 1003w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-712\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Date Labels<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Are you a health inspector looking to do your part in reducing food waste? Rutgers Cooperative Extension partnered with Sustainable Jersey and Center for EcoTechnology to create a<span style=\"color: #000000\"> <a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/02\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-pages.pdf\">guidance document<\/a> and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/02\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-Brochure.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">brochure<\/span><\/a> that outlines the basics of food donation. Health inspectors are encouraged to distribute these documents throughout their municipality. Be part of the solution by taking our 1-hour, self-paced training course for health inspectors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/ce-catalog.rutgers.edu\/coursedisplay.cfm?schID=85600\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Health Inspector Training<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_765\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-765\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2026\/08\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-Brochure.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-765 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/02\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-Brochure1024_1-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"NJ Food Donation Brochure\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-765\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">NJ Food Donation Brochure<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_764\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-764\" style=\"width: 232px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2026\/08\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-pages.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-764 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/667\/2022\/02\/NJ-Food-Donation-Guidance-pages1024_1-232x300.jpg\" alt=\"NJ Food Donation Guidance Document screenshot.\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">NJ Food Donation Guidance Document<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Foods\/beverages that can be donated<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hot food kept at proper temperature <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and\/or cooled properly<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cold food kept at proper temperature<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Produce\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beverages<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Packaged items\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dairy products\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Raw meat\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Foods\/beverages that cannot be donated<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Foods in dented or rusty cans\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unwholesome food or foods displaying signs of spoilage\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Foods in opened or torn containers\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Distressed foods that have been exposed to unsafe conditions such as fire or smoke<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Time\/Temperature Controls for Safety (TCS) foods that were not kept at proper temperature\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Health Inspectors Health inspectors have the opportunity to encourage food facilities, such as restaurants and cafeterias, to participate in food donation. Preventing food from contributing to waste by redistributing it &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/food-donation\/\" class=\"\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2056,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-custom.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-677","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Health Inspectors &amp; Food Donation - Cooperative Extension Food Waste Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/food-waste\/food-donation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Health Inspectors &amp; Food Donation - Cooperative Extension Food Waste Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Health Inspectors Health inspectors have the opportunity to encourage food facilities, such as restaurants and cafeterias, to participate in food donation. 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