In the late 1990s, Feeding America network members started working with retail grocery companies to recover perishable products that the retail stores identified as not marketable to customers but still useable and safe for human consumption.

In 2000, with assistance from industry food safety experts and nonprofit representatives, the Conference for Food Protection created a set of safe food handling guidelines for the recovery of perishable products from retail outlets such as restaurants, retail grocery stores, and commercial kitchens.

Feeding America and How We Fit In

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. Feeding America has forged strong partnerships at the national level with a number of large retailers, such as Walmart, Public, and Target.

Our national donors have confidence in the Feeding America network, and choose to donate exclusively to its members. Grocery Alliance agencies have an obligation to uphold these standards on a local level by following food safety guidelines, reporting requirements, providing excellent customer service, and excellent customer service, and ensuring donations serve our neighbors facing hunger.

Our partner agencies are essential to the success and continued growth of the Grocery Alliance Program. By having partner agencies pick-up directly, we are able to provide better service, more frequent pick-ups, and can get food to people in need faster and more efficiently.