According to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, food recovery is important for the following reasons.

• Millions of pounds of surplus fresh fruit and vegetables are destroyed each year.
• Forty percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten each year.
• Food makes up over one-fifth of total landfill weight, releasing methane into the environment.
• One in six American families is food insecure, including over 13 million kids.

FLORIDA FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM

The food recovery process begins when food banks receive USDA food, as well as other donations from non-government entities, that are then distributed to the public or provided to Sub-Distribution Agencies (SDA) and/or Local Distribution Agencies (LDAs) for distribution to recipients.

To learn more about the food recovery process, view the organizational and process flow chart below.

For more information on Food Donations click below:

Florida Statute, 595.420 instructs FDACS to publish a Food Recovery Brochure annually which includes any feeding agency, regardless of whether they are under contract, that is interested in becoming involved in food recovery programs.