Prepared foods and meals must be donated only by permitted restaurants, hotels, food processing facilities, food distributors, or catered events. Donated foods are limited to foods or food portions which have not been previously served to a consumer. Individuals who wish to donate food should only provide uncooked, prepackaged food products that can be prepared on site by approved food handlers.
Donated foods that require temperature control must always remain at 41˚F or below for cold foods or 135˚F or above for hot foods, prior to transportation. When refrigerated transport is available, foods should be held below 41˚F, while in transport to the venue. If refrigerated transport is not available, the food items should be labeled “Process Immediately” and must not be out of temperature controls for more than 2 hours.
Donations consisting of whole produce, canned goods, dry foods, and other similar products can be delivered anytime with no requirement for temperature controls or delivery times.
The food donor must check to ensure proper temperatures at the time of the transfer to the receiving facility or food transporter. You may be asked to label your food by time cooked, last time the temperature was checked, and the temperature at the last check.
The person in charge at the nonprofit should also check the temperature of the food upon receipt and note the time that the food is received.
You may be asked to list any allergens on prepared food.
Please keep different types of prepared foods in separate containers, for example, keep rice and steamed veggies apart because they reheat at different temperatures.
Keep all meat types in separate containers for storage and transportation to avoid contamination. Do not mix seafood with meat.
For more information, please research your local Health Department's food donation safety guidelines.