This bill focuses on reducing food waste, promoting food donation, and enhancing food safety in Colorado. Here's a breakdown of its provisions:
Key Provisions:
Training and Guidance for Food Waste Reduction:
The Department of Public Health and Environment (department) will provide annual training as part of its green business network on strategies for food waste prevention and reduction.
The department is required to develop a food waste reduction guidance document, which will be made publicly available on its website and updated at least annually.
Encouraging Retail Food Establishments:
Starting January 1, 2026, grocery stores are encouraged to:
Clearly display ingredients on prepared food items.
Use "best if used" or "frozen by" dates instead of "sell by" dates for prepared food items. This aims to reduce confusion about food safety and improve inventory management to reduce waste.
Immunity for Food Donations:
The bill extends civil and criminal immunity to certain groups, such as:
Faith-based organizations that donate food.
Donations of food to faith-based organizations or individuals.
Immunity from liability applies even if the donated food is alleged to have caused illness or death. This provides greater confidence and protection to organizations donating food to those in need, thus encouraging more donations.
Food Donation and Resale Guidelines for Retail Establishments:
The bill suggests practices for retail food establishments to safely donate or resell food, promoting waste reduction while ensuring the safety of recipients.
Purpose:
This bill is aimed at reducing food waste, encouraging food donations, and improving food safety practices in Colorado. By providing training, guidance, and extending liability protections to those who donate food, it encourages businesses and organizations to donate excess food instead of throwing it away, while ensuring public safety. The focus on grocery stores displaying clearer food dates and reducing waste also contributes to broader sustainability goals.
Summary
The bill requires the department of public health and environment
(department), to the extent that funding is available as part of the department's green business network, to:
•
Provide annual training that includes food waste prevention and reduction strategies;
•
Develop a food waste reduction guidance document (document);
•
Place the document on the department's public website; and •
Update the document at least annually.
The bill suggests means by which retail food establishments may
donate or resell safe food.
The bill states that, on and after January 1, 2026, grocery stores are
encouraged to:
•
Clearly display the ingredients of items of prepared food; and
•
Use best if used or frozen by dates rather than sell by dates upon prepared items of food.
Current law provides civil and criminal immunity to a farmer,
retail food establishment, correctional facility, school district, hospital, or processor, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer of food that donates items of food to a nonprofit organization for use or distribution in providing assistance to individuals in need. The bill extends this immunity to apply to:
•
Faith-based organizations that donate food; and
•
Food donations to faith-based organizations and individuals.
The bill also clarifies that the immunity from liability applies
regardless of whether the donated food is alleged to have caused illness or death.
