As restaurants and wholesalers adjust their operations due to COVID-19, wholesalers and distributors have been left with existing inventories of perishable food. To keep up with changing practices, some Massachusetts food wholesalers and distributors that normally serve businesses are setting up direct-to-consumer home delivery to move their supply of fresh produce and other foods. Boston.com recently described how home delivery services are keeping the food supply chain moving and reducing the amount of potential food waste.

When buying directly from a wholesaler, customers do not need to leave their homes for a grocery store to receive deliveries of fresh produce, meats, grains, and other items. Wholesalers Baldor Specialty Foods and J.W. Lopes are providing home delivery services to Boston residents, with more than 1,500 people signed up now; that number is expected to grow. Other, smaller, local food purveyors have also made their food available, including forager Tyler Akabane, seafood purveyor Wulf’s Fish, and family run meat company T.F Kinnealey & Co. By providing direct-to-resident service, wholesalers and distributors have found an innovative way to sustain their farmer suppliers’ inventories and maintain the food supply chain.

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) can help food service businesses, wholesalers, and distributors connect with local organizations rescuing surplus food. To speak with an expert, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525 or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com.