Bill Summary
The "Food Rescue Act" aims to amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 by establishing a national food rescue system. This system will be coordinated by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Food and Nutrition Service, focusing on the recovery and redistribution of surplus food to aid emergency feeding organizations and communities facing food insecurity.
Key components of the legislation include:
1. **Establishment of a National System**: A national framework will be created to manage the recovery, processing, transportation, and distribution of surplus food.
2. **Partnerships**: The act emphasizes collaboration with food rescue organizations, food banks, and local agencies to identify sources of surplus food and ensure effective distribution.
3. **Infrastructure Support**: It includes provisions for enhancing logistics and infrastructure related to food rescue, such as transportation, cold storage, and aggregation sites.
4. **Grant Program**: The Secretary of Agriculture will establish a competitive grant program to fund food rescue operations, technology for tracking surplus food, and operational needs for eligible organizations.
5. **Eligibility and Application**: Various entities, including nonprofits and government agencies, can apply for grants, detailing their proposed projects, partnerships, budgets, and implementation timelines.
6. **Coordination with Existing Programs**: The act ensures that the new food rescue initiatives will align with current USDA programs aimed at reducing food waste.
Overall, the Food Rescue Act seeks to enhance food rescue efforts in the U.S., reducing food waste while addressing hunger in vulnerable communities.
Possible Impacts
Here are three examples of how the Food Rescue Act could affect people:
1. **Increased Food Security for Low-Income Families**: By establishing a national food rescue system, the Act aims to redirect surplus food from producers and retailers to emergency feeding organizations. This could lead to more food availability for food-insecure communities, helping low-income families access nutritious meals that they might not otherwise afford. As a result, families could experience improved health and well-being due to better access to food resources.
2. **Support for Local Nonprofits and Food Banks**: The Act includes provisions for grants to food rescue organizations and partnerships with local agencies. This financial support could enhance the operational capacity of nonprofits and food banks, allowing them to expand their reach and efficiency in food distribution. Consequently, local organizations could serve more households, improve their logistics, and better address food waste in their communities.
3. **Job Creation and Economic Opportunities**: The establishment of a national food rescue system and the emphasis on logistics infrastructure, transportation, and technology may create new jobs in areas such as food processing, transportation, cold-chain logistics, and technology development. Individuals could find employment opportunities in these sectors, contributing to the local economy while addressing food waste and food insecurity simultaneously.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7144 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7144
To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to establish a
national food rescue system through partnerships with food rescue
organizations.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2026
Mr. Torres of New York introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to establish a
national food rescue system through partnerships with food rescue
organizations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Food Rescue Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL FOOD RESCUE SYSTEM.
The Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 216. NATIONAL FOOD RESCUE SYSTEM.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Food and Nutrition Service, shall establish and operate a national
food rescue system to coordinate the recovery, processing,
transportation, and distribution of surplus and donated food to
emergency feeding organizations and food-insecure communities.
``(b) Activities.--In carrying out subsection (a), food rescue
organizations shall--
``(1) identify sources of surplus or excess food across the
agricultural, retail, manufacturing, and distribution sectors;
``(2) develop and maintain partnerships with nonprofit food
rescue organizations, food banks, and local agencies to recover
and distribute such food;
``(3) expand and strengthen logistics and infrastructure
necessary for food rescue, including aggregation sites,
transportation, cold-chain storage, and last-mile delivery;
``(4) support technology platforms and data systems used to
identify, track, and redirect surplus food; and
``(5) provide technical assistance to participating
entities to enhance efficiency and coordination.
``(c) Grant Program.--To carry out this section, the Secretary
shall establish a competitive grant program to support activities
described in subsection (b).
``(d) Eligible Entities.--Grants under this section shall be
awarded to food rescue organizations, which may carry out projects in
partnership with food banks, food recovery networks, State, local,
Tribal, or Territorial governments, logistics providers, front-line
emergency food providers, and other relevant partners.
``(e) Use of Funds.--Grant funds may be used for--
``(1) food rescue and recovery operations, including
gleaning and aggregation;
``(2) transportation and delivery of surplus food,
including cold-chain logistics;
``(3) storage, processing, or repackaging infrastructure
needed for redistribution;
``(4) technology used to match surplus food with receiving
organizations in real time;
``(5) personnel, equipment, or operational needs that
support food rescue activities; and
``(6) administrative costs, as determined appropriate by
the Secretary.
``(f) Application Requirements.--An eligible entity seeking a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require, including--
``(1) a description of the proposed project and expected
food-rescue impact, including estimated pounds of food
recovered and households served;
``(2) identification of participating partners, including
producers, distributors, retailers, or logistics entities;
``(3) a budget and implementation timeline; and
``(4) a plan for sourcing, transporting, storing, and
delivering surplus food to emergency feeding organizations and
food-insecure communities.
``(g) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate activities
under this section with--
``(1) programs authorized under the Emergency Food
Assistance Act of 1983;
``(2) the Farm-to-Food Bank Project established under
section 203D; and
``(3) other USDA efforts to reduce food loss and waste.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.''.
SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
Section 203D(b) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7
U.S.C. 7507(b)) is amended by inserting ``(excluding funds appropriated
under section 216)'' after ``appropriated under this Act''.
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