Food safety for donations: A key barrier to food donation can be the lack of knowledge or readily available guidance regarding safety procedures for donated food. All donated food should be safe for consumption and comply with applicable food safety laws and regulations. Potential donors, however, are often uncertain as to which food safety regulations apply to donated food and the steps necessary to comply.

Date labeling: Date labels affixed to food products are a major driver of food waste and an obstacle to food donation. Most food donors and food recovery organizations are appropriately cautious about donating food that may no longer be safe, but it is not always clear whether the date label accompanied by language such as “sell by,” “expires on,” or “best by” relates to food safety. In fact, date labels are generally intended to reflect freshness or quality rather than food safety for the vast majority of foods.

Liability protection for food donations: A significant barrier to food donation is the fear among donors that they will be found liable if someone becomes sick after consuming donated food. Some countries have adopted liability protections to mitigate this concern. However, many food donors and food recovery organizations are uncertain as to whether they are eligible for this protection, whether there are actions required to maintain the protection, and what limits, if any, apply.  

Tax incentives and tax barriers: Transportation and storage costs are often cited as the main expenses that manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants need to overcome to donate food. Tax incentives, including deductions and credits, can help to offset these financial inputs and help make donation a more attractive, affordable option. The application of certain taxes to donated food, such as the value-added tax, however, can also create a barrier to donation.

Donation requirements or food waste penalties: Some countries have employed food donation requirements or impose monetary penalties for food that is sent to landfills (often known as organic waste bans or waste taxes) in order to influence business behavior and promote more sustainable food systems.

Government grants and incentives: Grants and incentive programs funded at the national or local level offer another important resource for food donation initiatives. This is particularly true in countries where donors consider tax incentives to be insufficient to offset the costs of donation or where a lack of infrastructure limits food recovery efforts.

National law or policy on food waste: Adopting a national food loss and waste or food donation framework can help governments ensure policy coherence and advance food recovery efforts along the supply chain. Offering a unified and comprehensive framework may better enable governments to clarify food safety rules, standardize date labels, define liability protections for food donors and food recovery organizations, and set forth additional tax benefits to which donors may be entitled under relevant law. A national law or policy can also serve as a foundation for government grant programs and awareness campaigns focused on food system sustainability and food security.