U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse this week introduced legislation to expand food donation efforts across the country. Fellow Republican Jackie Walorski of Indiana, along with Democrats Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Chellie Pingree of Maine, joined Newhouse of Washington state to introduce the bill. The bipartisan Food Donation Improvement Act would encourage food donation efforts by extending liability protections to food donors when food is either given directly to a person in need or when a recipient pays a deeply reduced cost. Expanding the protections would allow retail grocers, wholesalers, agricultural producers, restaurants, caterers, school food authorities, and higher education institutions to increase the quantity and efficiency of their food donation efforts. The bill would also clarify labeling standards that food products must meet to be eligible for liability protections. Newhouse says the legislation “will enact logical reforms that will provide clarity and protections to farmers, retailers, and non-profits seeking in good faith to assist the hungry.”
