§7507 State and Local Supplementation of Commodities

Summary

The Secretary must set up rules so State and local agencies, charities, or anyone can add donated, nutritious food to the food already sent to emergency feeding groups. States and feeding groups may use program money, storage and delivery equipment, buildings, vehicles, paid staff, and volunteers to store, handle, or give out those donated foods. They should keep using volunteers and donated food whenever possible. The Secretary can give money to States to pay for projects that harvest, process, package, or move donated unharvested or unpackaged farm food. The federal share of a project cannot be more than 50 percent. Each year the Secretary will divide funds by a formula among States that send plans, reassign unused funds to other States, and require regular financial reports. Federal funds may only be used to cut food waste at the farm/processing/distribution level, feed people in need, and build ties between farms/processors/distributors and feeding groups. The Secretary may encourage State agencies to work together. The Treasury will send $4,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2019 through 2031 to pay for these projects, available until the end of the next fiscal year. The Secretary must also issue guidance on how to reduce waste of donated foods and, within 180 days after December 20, 2018, must issue guidance to promote donations of “apparently wholesome food” that are protected by federal law by certain donors and to encourage sharing that guidance. Definitions (one line each): Apparently wholesome food — a term defined elsewhere in federal law; Institution of higher education — a term defined elsewhere in federal law; Qualified direct donor — a retail food store, wholesaler, agricultural producer, restaurant, caterer, school food authority, or institution of higher education.