A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO FOOD RECOVERY
I. An Introduction to Food Recovery
Food recovery is the collection of wholesome food for distribution to the
poor and hungry. It follows a basic humanitarian ethic that has been part of
societies for centuries. We know that "gleaning," or gathering after
the harvest, goes back at least as far as biblical days. Today, however, the
terms "gleaning" and "food recovery" cover a variety of
different efforts. The four most common methods are:
- Field Gleaning — The collection of crops from farmers'
fields that have already been mechanically harvested or on fields where it is
not economically profitable to harvest.
- Perishable Food Rescue or Salvage — The collection of
perishable produce from wholesale and retail sources.
- Food Rescue — The collection of prepared foods from the
food service industry.
- Nonperishable Food Collection — The collection of processed
foods with long shelf lives.