Food Recovery Program

What Is Food Recovery?

Food recovery is the practice of collecting wholesome food that would otherwise go to waste and donating it to local food distribution agencies to help feed those in need. Food is collected from places such as farms, schools, restaurants, grocery stores and produce markets.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food Recovery Program works to recover food in two ways:

1. By working with farmers. Volunteers visit the farms and collect surplus produce in a process known as gleaning.
2. By working with schools. We provide Florida schools with guidance on food waste audits, share tables, food donations and composting.

The Food Recovery Hierarchy is a tool that prioritizes actions that organizations and individuals can take to prevent and divert food waste.

Why Is Food Recovery Important?

• Forty percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten.
• Approximately one-fifth of Floridians are food insecure, including over 1 million children.
• Food makes up over one-fifth of total landfill weight in the U.S., resulting in the release of methane.

View Let's Talk Trash, a food waste infographic from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Food Recovery on the Farm

• Field Gleaning Tips and Rules [ 690.2 kB ]
• Florida's Seasonal Availability Calendar [ 2.1 MB ]
• How Is Food Recovered on a Farm? [ 1.1 MB ]
• Tax Incentives and Protection from Liability: English [ 625.9 kB ] | Spanish [ 627.6 kB ]

Food Recovery in Schools

• Composting in Schools: English [ 6.3 MB ] | Spanish [ 1.1 MB ]
• Food Recovery Program Flyer [ 645.8 kB ]
• Food Waste Reduction Tool Kit with Free Lesson Plans
• School Food Donation Checklist [ 917.2 kB ]
• Share Table Implementation Checklist [ 162.6 kB ]
• Student Food Waste Audits: English [ 657.4 kB ] | Spanish [ 1 MB ]
• What Are Share Tables?  English [ 289.6 kB ] | Spanish [ 422.1 kB ]
• What You Can Do to Help Prevent Wasted Food (USDA)[ ]

Food Recovery in Schools — Video Resources 

• Food Recovery Resource Packet [ 6.1 MB ]
• Chapter 1: An Introduction to Food Recovery[ ]
• Chapter 2: Student Food Waste Audits[ ]
• Chapter 3: Share Tables and Food Donations[ ]
• Chapter 4: Gleaning Field Trips[ ]

Food Recovery at Home

• Cook It — The Amazing Waste Cookbook
• Store It
• Compost It:  English [ 746.6 kB ] | Spanish [ 498.6 kB ]

What Can You Do to Help?

Learn More or Volunteer

To learn more or get involved in food recovery, complete our online form to be connected to a Food Recovery Specialist.

Information submitted to the department is a public record unless exempted by Florida law. You may also share this information with us by contacting our consumer assistance team at 1-800-HELP-FLA or 1-800-435-7352 (en Español: 1-800-FL-AYUDA or 1-800-352-9832) or by sending correspondence to: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Plaza Level 10, The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800.

You may also email InfoFNW@FDACS.gov for more information.

Join the EPA's Food Recovery Challenge

As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Food Recovery Challenge, organizations pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results. Learn more about the program.

Legislative Organizational Partnerships

On an annual basis, food distribution programs are funded by the Florida Legislature through the FDACS Food Recovery Program. Partnerships for the 2021-2022 fiscal year include:

• Feeding Florida’s Farmers Feeding Florida Program, which purchases cosmetically blemished produce from local agricultural producers and provides it to households in need through Feeding Florida’s member food banks. For more information on Farmers Feeding Florida, contact Sherri Atwell, Director of Produce Recovery, at 1-855-352-3663 ext. 1 or Sherri@FeedingFlorida.org.
• The Farm Share Program, which provides food free of charge to local community partner agencies as well as directly to families, children, senior citizens and individuals in need to address food insecurity throughout the state of Florida. For more information on this program, contact Farm Share at 1-305-246-3276 or information@farmshare.org.
• Feeding South Florida’s Senior Grocery Delivery Program, which provides a grocery delivery service for low-income, homebound seniors in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. For more information on this program, contact Feeding South Florida at 1-954-518-1818 or contact@feedingsouthflorida.org.
• Second Harvest of the Big Bend’s Feeding Rural Florida Program, which purchases and distributes fresh, nutritious food to rural North Florida Counties, including Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla. For more information on this program, contact Second Harvest of the Big Bend at 1-850-562-3033 or info@fightinghunger.org.

For more information on these organizational partnerships, contact the FDACS Food Recovery Specialist, Melanie Mason, at (850) 617-7165 or Melanie.Mason@FDACS.gov.