What keeps restaurants from being able to give unused food to the needy?

Question

I work at a McDonalds & when I see all the unused food being thrown out I think of how the hungry people of communities could get fed.

Answer 1

Here in New York and in many other parts of the country there is an organization called Second Harvest. A great number of restaurants, government programs, and produce growers participate in their food collection and redistribution program. If there isnt one in your area yet, there probably will be one soon.

Answer 2

Corporate Laws, which protect the vendor and the person on the street.
Unfortunately, if a food vendor gives food away, they are still responsible if someone else gets sick from eating it. Since they have no way of controlling it after it leaves the premises, it would be just asking for a lawsuit if they allowed the food to be taken home. I know it seems a waste, but in return you can use this as a reason to sponsor more hunger awareness fund raising.
Unless you can utilize the leftovers safely in-house, leftovers are a waste product of doing business in the food industry and have to be looked at as such. That's why most companies stress reducing waste, you're just throwing it away.

Answer 3

What a great idea to help the undernourished. Some communities have rules about food storage and disposal. You should check your local health department for specifics in your area. I think the answer lies deeper than just a law or penalty. I think we still associate the homeless, underpriviledged and poor with crime. Maybe they are concerned that giving away free food would attract a criminal element to the restaurant and would drive away paying customers.

Answer 4

1. Fear of a law suit
2. They don't want to have the homeless waiting for the store toclose or begging.
3. The holding temp and time prevents them from giving it away.

Answer 5

the board of health usually. i worked at a food place to and we were forbid from giving it away at the end of the night by the town. people at city hall

Answer 6

Liability;

If someone got sick eating food you were going to throw away, they could sue. Most companies would rather donate money than risk thhe chance of bad publicity because someone got sick eating their stale food.

Answer 7

I work at a pizza hut and we have lunch buffet, so all the pizza that is left over we freeze and the salvation army comes to get it every week.

Answer 8

The Department of Health as well as it is the law, at least in Canada.

Answer 9

Cos if people kept it for a while, ate it and got food poisoning, the company would be sued.

Answer 10

Health code.