SB 1383 Targets

  • Reduce organic waste disposal 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025.

  • Rescue for people to eat at least 20% of currently disposed surplus food by 2025.

Got a lot of extra edible food?

We would like to help! Active January 1, 2022, SB 1383 requires the recovery of surplus edible food. The goal is to increase to nutritious food for members of our community, while also reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions that are the result of surplus food that is landfilled.

To reduce food waste and help address food insecurity, SB 1383 requires that by 2025 California will recover 20 percent of edible food that would otherwise be sent to landfills, to feed people in need. The law directs the following:

  • Jurisdictions must establish food recovery programs and strengthen their existing food recovery networks.

  • Food donors must arrange to recover the maximum amount of their edible food that would overwise go to landfills.

  • Food recovery organizations and services that participate in SB 1383 must maintain records.

Regulated Food Donors

MDRR and the City will be conducting targeted outreach to all regulated food donors in 2021 to ensure all relevant parties are aware of the new SB 1383 edible food recovery regulations. Please visit please visit www.mdrr.com/foodrecovery for guidance, contacts at MDRR, and more on this topic.

Mandated Food Donors include:

  • Supermarkets

  • Grocery Stores (Facilities ≥ 10,000 sq. ft.)

  • Food Service Providers

  • Food Distributors

  • Wholesale Food Vendors

  • Restaurants (Facilities ≥ 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seats)

  • Hotels with an On-Site Food Facility and 200+ Rooms

  • Health Facilitieswith an On-Site Food Facility and 100+ Beds

  • Large Venues

  • Large Events

  • State Agency Cafeterias (Facilities ≥ 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seats)

  • A Local Education Agency with an On-Site Food Facility

All regulated food donors must:

  1. Arrange to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed.

  2. Prepare a contract or written agreement with a food recovery organization or service that collects edible food or accepts edible food that your business self-hauls to their facility.

  3. Maintain the following records:

    • List of food recovery organizations that collect or receive your business’ edible food. Including organization name, address, and contact.

    • Copies of the contracts or written agreements.

    • Types of food being recovered.

    • Frequency of collection or self-hauling to food recovery facility.

    • Quantity of edible food recovered measured in pounds per month.

Food Recovery Organizations

SB 1383 requires mandated food donors to:

  • Donate their excess edible food to a local food recovery organization or service, which includes, but is not limited to:

    • Food banks

    • Food pantries

    • Soup kitchens

    • Other non-profits that distribute food to people in need

    • Food runners

    • For-profit food recovery services

  • Establish contracts or written agreements with food recovery organizations, which can include:

    • Establishing a regular food donation or collection schedule

    • Identifying allowable foods for donation

    • Cost-sharing options

Food recovery organizations and services that have a contract or written agreement with a mandated food donor will be required to maintain records of the food they receive from each mandated food donor, including Total Pounds Collected in the previous calendar year to the jurisdiction where their primary address is physically located.

Visit Contra Costa County’s Recycling website for a list of food recovery and food recovery services operating within the County.

Visit CalRecycle’s website for more information.