Tatte Bakery & Café has partnered with the nonprofit food rescue organization Rescuing Leftover Cuisine to redirect edible surplus food for donation, according to WickedLocal. The employee-led program launched in June 2020, and currently takes place at ten of the chain’s eighteen locations. With pick-ups on Mondays and Thursdays, the business has recovered about 180 pounds, or about 150 meals worth, of food since the program began.

The bakery and café plans to expand this program to all of its locations, and is working with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine to increase the frequency of pick-ups so that additional food can be donated. In the meantime, on days that materials are not collected by the nonprofit, employees are encouraged to take home surplus pastries and breads from the business.

Businesses thinking of establishing a new food donation program are often uncertain about what items can be donated, and may not be familiar with federal and state policies regulating food donation. The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic has developed a Legal Fact Sheet for Massachusetts Food Donation to help businesses understand the broad liability protections that exist for food donors. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) also offers Food Donation Guidance to support businesses seeking to establish an ongoing donation program.

RecyclingWorks assists businesses and institutions with waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and food recovery. We provide resources to support food rescue, including an example Food Donation Agreement. To learn more about hunger relief organizations in your area that accept surplus food donations from businesses, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525, or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com.