Jim Larson Food Donation Connection Food Waste

Jim Larson directs program development for Food Donation Connection (FDC), LLC. Since joining FDC in 1998, Jim has been instrumental in the growth of FDC’s Harvest Program, which coordinates donations of prepared perishable food to local non-profit organizations nationwide. He implemented Harvest Programs for YUM! Brands, Darden Restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, and is working with donors to establish donation programs in the United Kingdom.

In this presentation, Jim explains how FDC has been able to coordinate 360 million pounds of food donations in over 22 years with food companies large and small without having a food borne illness attributable to its food donation.

Additional information:
31% of food that is available at supermarkets, restaurants, dining halls, and in households goes uneaten. Across the country, supermarkets, restaurants, and food service companies are adopting innovative new approaches to reduce the amount of food that goes unsold, recover more wholesome unsold food to donate to people who need it, and recycle food discards for energy generation or composting. Stores are even coming up with new incentives to convince consumers to buy "ugly" produce.
The second webinar in the U.S. Food Waste Challenge Webinar series features food industry and non-profit leaders talking about how they are dealing with food waste.  The presentations include information on the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, liability protection for food donation, the food recovery hierarchy, and innovative ways to keep retailer food waste out of landfills.