Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383): California’s New Organic Waste & Surplus Food Recovery Law
Feeding San Diego is your solution to SB 1383 compliance!
What Is SB 1383?
SB 1383, or Senate Bill 1383, is a new state law designed to reduce global warming gasses, such as methane, which are the most potent and have the most significant polluting effects.
To do so, SB 1383 aims to:
- Reduce organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025
- Rescue at least 20% of currently disposed of surplus food by 2025
Does SB 1383 Apply to You?
The law places food generators into two tiers:
Tier 1
Wholesale food vendor
Food distributor
Food service provider
Grocery store or supermarket
Tier 2
Hotel with an on-site food facility
Restaurant facility
Health provider with an on-site food facility
- State agency cafeteria
Agency with an on-site food facility
Large venue or event
As of January 1, 2022, Tier 1 food generators must donate the maximum amount of edible food to food recovery organizations (such as Feeding San Diego). Businesses in Tier 2 are required to start donating as of January 1, 2024
Understanding the Effects of SB 1383 on Your Business
If your business qualifies as a Commercial Edible Food Generator, SB 1383 requires that you:
- Recover the maximum amount of edible food by donating the surplus, rather than composting it or throwing it away
- Arrange for food recovery through a contract or written agreement with a Food Recovery Organization (such as Feeding San Diego)
- Maintain comprehensive records of:
-
- Each food recovery organization with which you partner
- Contracts and agreements you make
- Types of food collected
- Frequency of donations
- Pounds of food donated per month
How Feeding San Diego Can Help
With nearly 15 years of experience providing hunger relief through food rescue, Feeding San Diego has the tools to make compliance with SB 1383 easy for your business. We currently rescue food from hundreds of local and national businesses including Costco, Target, Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Sprouts, and Jimbo’s.
Let us do the heavy lifting to ensure your surplus food reaches those in need!
If you partner with us, Feeding San Diego will:
- Pick up your food donations on a regular basis (daily, weekly, or as needed)
- Provide the written agreements necessary for compliance
- Provide monthly donation activity reports to make record-keeping easy
- Give you access to MealConnect, our technology platform, which allows you to post in real-time as donations become available
Why Is Food Rescue Important?
Organic waste in landfills, such as discarded food, emits 20% of the state’s methane. Methane is considered a “super pollutant” because it is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Each year, Californians send nearly six million tons of food waste to the landfill while 10.8% of the state’s population lives with food insecurity. Food rescue redirects edible food that would otherwise go to waste to the millions of California families who don’t have enough to eat.
By donating your surplus food to Feeding San Diego you can help protect people and the planet.
Why Donate Through Feeding San Diego?
In addition to meeting the requirements of SB 1383, partnering with Feeding San Diego offers a range of benefits.
Safe
We make sure all food is stored and transported in safe conditions. Plus, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects you from liability for donated food!
Community Oriented
The food you provide will be distributed to individuals and families facing hunger throughout San Diego County.
Tax Deductible
Donating to Feeding San Diego provides a number of tax benefits as defined by the IRS.
