SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Feeding San Diego is going to be able to partner with new and more food donors at the start of this year.
“So, this is just creating more food that’s coming through our way,” Patty O’Connor, COO of Feeding San Diego, said.
It’s all thanks to a new expansion of a current law, SB 1383.
“The law says that any of these food generators or food businesses are no longer allowed to throw away any edible food,” O’Connor said. “That they must have an agreement with a food recovery organization such as Feeding San Diego to donate any excess edible food.”
O’Connor told ABC 10News the first group, which the law initially went into effect in 2022, applied to was grocery stores, food distributors and wholesalers.
As of Monday at the start of 2024, O’Connor and Feeding San Diego said it applies to hotels, large-scale restaurants, events and venues alike.
“By creating this law and making more people focused on, ‘Hey, wait, we don’t need to throw this away. We can actually donate it.’ It has created more food into the community, and it just should hopefully generate even more,” O’Connor said.
With the expansion of this new law, not only can the food from these places benefit San Diego and across the state, but it’s also great for the environment.
“If food is thrown away into the landfill, it creates methane, and that is a super pollutant that’s 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide, “O’Connor said. “So, anyway, anyhow we can keep food out of the landfill, we’re going to be helping our climate.”
CalRecycle said landfills are the state’s third largest source of methane, with organic waste in landfills accounting for 20 percent of the state’s emiction of methane.
Feeding San Diego said it garnered more than 70 new food donors, with the first group being applied to the state law.
“We also are the ones that go and pick up the food. So, we really help the businesses comply with the law,” O’Connor said.
Now, they’re working with others who fall into the new expansion.
“We’re working with hotels. For example, Hotel Del Coronado is one of our partners, San Diego Zoo. We’re in talks with SnapDragon Stadium. So, people that are becoming aware of the requirements of the law are reaching out, and we are here to help,” O’Connor said.
