SB 1383: EDIBLE FOOD RECOVERY

SB 1383: EDIBLE FOOD RECOVERY


SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery - CalRecycle GRAPHIC - Copy
Reducing the volume of edible food disposed by businesses has been a priority for the City of Lakeport since the introduction of SB 1383 which established methane emissions reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) in various sectors of California's economy. SB 1383 establishes targets to achieve a 75% reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste by 2025.

Methane emissions resulting from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contributing to global climate change. Organic materials including waste that can be readily prevented, recycled, or composted account for a significant portion of California's overall waste stream.

Food waste alone accounts for approximately 13% of total landfill disposal!

Increasing food waste prevention, encouraging edible food rescue, and expanding the composting and in-vessel digestion of organic waste throughout the state will help reduce methane emissions from organic waste disposed in California's landfills.

The legislation requires all cities to facilitate a food recovery program that creates a 20% increase in the recovery of currently disposed edible food from large food generators. The recovered food will then be routed to those who are experiencing food insecurity. Under SB 1383, the food recovery target must be met by January 1, 2025.

SB 1383 also requires the following:

  • Jurisdictions must establish food recovery programs and strengthen their existing food recovery networks;
  • Food donors must arrange to recover the maximum amount of their edible food that would otherwise go to landfills;
  • Food recovery organizations and services that participate in SB 1383 must maintain records

To comply with the terms of SB 1383 the City of Lakeport adopted Food Recovery Regulations (Ordinance No. 936) in June 2022 which are incorporated into Chapter 8.16 of the Lakeport Municipal Code.

Food Recovery Requirements

There are two groups of large edible food generators that are defined in SB 1383 that must establish written agreements with food recovery organizations to donate surplus food. Firstly, there are Tier 1 Commercial Edible Food Generators. This category includes the following:

  • Supermarkets
  • Grocery stores larger than 10,000+ square feet
  • Food service providers
  • Food distributors
  • Wholesale food vendors

The second group of establishments that are required to have a food recovery agreement are called Tier 2 Commercial Edible Food Generators. Tier 2 generators include:

  • Restaurants with facilities ≥ 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seats
  • Hotels with an on-site food facility with 200+ rooms or a restaurant with 250+ seats
  • Health facilities with an on-site food facility and 100+ beds
  • Venues that seat 2,000+ people
  • Events that serve an average of 2,000 visitors per day
  • State agency cafeterias with facilities ≥ 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seats
  • Local education agencies with an on-site food facility
  • Non-local entities, such as public universities and community colleges

Although SB 1383 requires certain food generating businesses to donate surplus food, the City of Lakeport encourages all edible food generating businesses to participate. Redistributing excess edible food to those in need has benefits far beyond being charitable. By implementing donation services, your business can also take advantage of tax write-offs and save money on the trash bill, all while helping reduce your greenhouse gas emissions for a greener planet. 

The Clear Lake Gleaners and Redwood Empire Food Bank work together to serve the Lakeport community with edible food assistance. The volunteers at the Gleaners are instrumental in making the new Food Recovery Program a success as they handle all the food pickups from Lakeport’s Tier 1 Commercial Edible Food Generators and other edible food donors. Please contact either organization for more information about local edible food distribution and food pantries.

Clear Lake Gleaners 1896 Big Valley Road
Finley, CA 95435
707-263-8082  clgleaners@hotmail.com
Redwood Empire Food Bank  3990 Brickway Blvd 
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-523-7900 refb.org/about-us/contact.html


We applaud our local supermarkets for participating in the new Food Recovery Program—thank you to Bruno’s/Shop Smart, Lakeport Grocery Outlet and Safeway. We believe that feeding hungry people through food recovery is the best use for surplus food and a vital way for California to conserve resources, reduce food waste thrown in landfills and help reduce food insecurity in our community.

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