They think it is going to take too much time, too much effort and companies arent willing to invest more time now to do things even though there is a financial upside to donating their surplus food, said Steve Dietz, director of business for Food Donation Connection, which works nationally to recover surplus food from restaurants. Deitz says he frequently deals with pushback from reluctant restaurants, which are skeptical that it is so easy to donate: Its almost too simple; too good to be true. More than 90,000 eating and drinking establishments operate in California, according to the California Restaurant Association. But fewer than 1,000 restaurants donated last year through Food Donation Connection, which is by far the largest program that links food service donors with hunger relief agencies. The 940 California restaurants that participated in 2009 included nearly 400 Pizza Huts, more than 100 KFC locations and more than 100 Chipotle Mexican Grill establishments. A big part of the reason why so few restaurants participate is because most are mom-and-pop operations or single-owner franchises, which are not eligible for the additional tax deduction for food donations, said Steve Dietz of Food Donation Connection. Only major corporations and large franchise owners, called C Corporations, are eligible for the deduction. A temporary allowance for small businesses expired at the end of 2009. Food Donation Connection and Feeding America are working with Congress to resurrect the tax deduction and make it permanent for all businesses. And while some restaurants are donating their surplus food through other programs - possibly without additional tax deductions - some restaurants said they are not donating regularly or at all for other reasons. Representatives for Brinker International, which includes Chilis Grill & Bar, On the Border Grill & Mexican Cantina, and Maggianos Little Italy, said the company doesnt have a policy in place for the donation of prepared food. According to Food Donation Connection, Brinkers distribution center now donates unused items and discontinued ingredients. Representatives for Sizzler and Carls Jr. said the companies dont donate surplus food because strict production guidelines prevent either company from generating waste. Yet, a 2006 study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board showed that food makes up 51.4 percent of waste disposed of by fast food restaurants and 66.1 percent of waste disposed of by full-service restaurants. While not all of that food is recoverable and edible, agencies that feed the hungry said these numbers are devastating. The amount of food that is wasted is heart-breaking to me because it can be harvested, said Louise Morris, the food coordinator at Shining Light Ministries in Garden Grove. People are hungry and its just thrown away. Although food waste continues to be a major issue, some restaurants are getting on board to help combat the states hunger problem. California restaurants partnering with Food Donation Connection donated nearly 2.5 million pounds of food in 2009, said Dietz. The Cheesecake Factory and Chipotle Mexican Grill each contribute to the Shining Light Ministries feeding program, which serves 125 to 150 meals a week, on average. On one recent evening, 198 pounds of food from the Cheesecake Factory and Chipotle helped feed 117 people. For us to get the food from the restaurants is very crucial, Morris said. With the economy the way it is, were seeing our numbers increase. Every Thursday night, 200 people, including Dale William Wallace, receive a hearty meal at the North Orange Christian Church, courtesy of the Irvine Yard House restaurant. I rely on places like this, certain days of the week, to eat, said Wallace, who lost his job doing masonry in the tile industry more than a year ago. Its the only meal Ill have that day. The weekly dinner is part of a program that started more than a year ago in Yard Houses Irvine kitchen. Were a restaurant, we feed people, and we have quite a bit of resources that would otherwise go into the trash, or go elsewhere, said corporate executive chef Carlito Jocson, who initiated the program. I felt it would be an easy thing to do to just throw into production. However, it was easy with 50, now its kind of becoming a pretty big production, making enough food for 200 people. Dietz of Food Donation Connection said tax incentives should also provide reason to participate in food programs. Congress passed a law in 1976 that encourages donations by allowing companies to earn an enhanced tax deduction for donating selected surplus property, including food, according to Food Donation Connection. Neither the California Franchise Tax Board nor IRS said they track how often companies take advantage of the tax breaks. In a nutshell, it reduces the cost of your loss by 59 percent as an average, which is a huge, huge savings to a company that throws away a lot of product, said Dietz. But Dietz said some food establishments dont want to acknowledge that waste is an issue. Most restaurants who do not admit their waste, I feel, are concerned that shareholders will think they are not good operators if they have surplus food, Dietz said. Others may not participate because it requires extra work. In some cases, its easier to throw food away, food bank officials said. Is it easier to take all of your food at the end of the night and put it into the refrigerator and store it until someone can come and pick it up, or is it easier to just throw it away and send it to the landfill? said Kelly King of the Orange County Second Harvest Food Bank. We have 442 agencies, or partner agencies with us, and just imagine if every restaurant in Orange County donated to us, what we could do with all those agencies, King said. Despite being optimistic that more restaurants are catching on, urgency is needed, Dietz said. Agencies will go out of business and people will go hungry if we cant supply the amount of food needed to feed the hungry people of the United States. And the food is out there. We know its out there. We have talked to restaurants that have it
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 01:47:40 +0000
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