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recovery and distribution to account for differing levels of
risk relevant to different types of food (i.e., produce versus
restaurant leftovers). Inconsistencies can make the food
recovery programs either dangerous to implement or at risk
of noncompliance with food safety standards (58). People
working in fruit and vegetable recovery nonprofits and
emergency food operations in California have highlighted
a lack of infrastructure, logistical support, and ambiguous
food safety regulations with high compliance costs as
prominent issues that contribute to food loss (10). Food
waste is a prevalent issue that nonprofits are seeking to
combat, but further guidance is needed to ensure that food
safety standards are being met in efforts to reduce food waste
(32). The USDA addresses how nonprofits can benefit from
collaborating with gardeners to decrease food waste. For
example, The People's Gardens, which are USDA-supported
gardens, donate all food that is grown to nonprofits such
as food banks, pantries, and kitchens (49). Community
gardens may play a role in combating food waste by donating
excess produce grown in the gardens to FANOs. However,
like the concerns about minimizing cross-contamination
and preventing foodborne pathogens in food bank and
pantry supplies, the foods that travel from community
gardens are similarly at risk and require education, training,
and infrastructure to ensure that donated foods reach
their destination safely. Thus, community-level food safety
practices need to be implemented when considering the
role that gardens play in decreasing food waste. Food safety
practices for garden-grown fruits and vegetables may differ
from food production on other parts of the food supply
chain due to adhering to different food safety regulations, or
exemption from the regulation because of low production
volume. For example, under the Food Safety Modernization
Act of 2011, produce farms are regulated by the Produce
Safety Rule, whereas other food manufacturing or processing
facilities for human food are regulated by the Preventive
Control for Human Food (10).
Food safety training for workers and volunteers can be a
practical way to not only reduce the spread of foodborne illness
in nonprofits but also reduce the amount of food that is thrown
away due to poor handling practices (42). Other possible
solutions to increase food safety and reduce food waste include
clearer expiration date labels, use of advanced technology to
evaluate food safety, and communication along each step of the
food supply chain (44). During distribution, food services need
to prioritize time/temperature control and sanitization practices
to efficiently transport their food. Proper food storage practices
need to be observed by vendors and markets before cooking the
food so that it is not thrown away by consumers (29, 30, 33).
Potential research questions. The potential research
questions on food waste in nonprofits are as follows.
* Are FANOs distributing or serving spoiled food, leading
to foodborne illnesses?
* Do inadequate food safety practices result in food waste
in FANOs?
* Do food safety practices result in overzealously
disposing of food in FANOs?
* What controls are in place to keep foods safe during
transportation to and from FANOs?
* How do nonprofits interact with commercial entities
to reduce food waste while complying with food safety
regulations in their state?
Methodological limitations. The methodological
limitations in research on food waste in nonprofits involve
quantifying the holistic causes and economic and environmental
impacts of food waste to propose reasonable behavior
or policy change (10). Researchers must define the stage or
stages in the food supply chain that they are assessing for
food waste and consider both the precedents and antecedents
to the stage in question (30). For example, they must specify
whether they are concerned with household- or production-level
food waste to clarify what behaviors are observable
and the extent to which they affect the problem. Food
recovery efforts by nonprofits are a major means of combating
food waste (14). Thus, researchers should consider how
food safety influences food recovery and how to ensure that
safe and consumable foods remain safe and are not ultimately
thrown away through existing successful programs.
2. Inadequate knowledge of safe food handling
Problem. Food safety knowledge of nonprofit staff,
volunteers, and FANO clientele about regulations and
practices is often inadequate.
This inadequacy may result in outbreaks of foodborne
illnesses and diseases. Unsafe food handling practices, such
as inadequate handwashing and lack of food thermometer
and refrigeration thermometer use, are more likely when
minimal or no food safety training exists (9, 17, 25). A small
sample study suggested volunteers at food banks and pantries
receive less training on proper food safety practices than the
organization's supervisors and managers (8), even though
volunteers are more likely to handle the food.
An area contributing to inadequate food safety knowledge
and practices among FANOs is the large number of volunteers
involved. For example, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central
Florida serves the Orlando metropolitan area through 625
" feeding partners, " including emergency food pantries, soup
kitchens, shelters, and senior centers. Second Harvest depended
on 39,138 volunteers contributing to 119,765 work hours in
2022, averaging 3 work hours per volunteer. This nonprofit calculated
its 2021 food value to be >$154 million across its seven
facilities (52), and the Florida Department of Health (DOH)
reported 23 food hygiene violations at one of their facilities in
the same year (19). Ensuring that each volunteer has adequate
knowledge of food safety risks and oversight of food handling
behaviors is a costly endeavor.
286 Food Protection Trends July/August
Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024

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