BizBash | Events * Meetings * Marketing * Style * Strategy * Ideas

OTHER MARKETS

GOOGLE TRANSLATE

OUR TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS

CALENDAR

JOBS

MOST POPULAR STORIES

1. New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

2. 6 New Venues for Los Angeles Holiday Parties

3. $4 Million MOCA Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Records

4. Us Weekly Takes to Voyeur With Scantily Clad Models, Burlesque Feel

5. How Do You Make Staffers Feel Appreciated—at Little or No Cost?

6. American Music Awards Begin With Redesigned Arrivals, End With Downsized After-Party

7. MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

8. Bouchon: Thomas Keller in Beverly Hills, With Indoor/Outdoor Dining, Private Room

9. Poll Results: Informal Nights Out Make Most Appropriate 2009 Holiday Parties

10. 8 Handy Gifts for Meeting Attendees

FROM WASHINGTON

Eldon Luxury Suites: Spacious Penthouses for Receptions

National Geographic Debuts Exhibit With Chinese Dragon, Tented Lounge

P.C.M.A. Honors Wardman Park, Fairmont at First Nighttime Annual Meeting

8 New Venues for Washington Holiday Parties That Won't Break the Bank

MSNBC and Rodale Fete Jeff Corwin's New Book and Documentary at the Occidental

Againn: A Modern Gastropub in Penn Quarter

Café Milano Offers Corporate Catering

More Photos From Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Stogies, Laser Shows, and a VW Bus Bar

Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Joan Jett for Men, Shirtless Hippies for Women

Award-Winning Washington Mixologist Offers Custom Cocktails and Classes

FROM NEW YORK

Sustainable Label Opens SoHo Pop-Up With Community Center Sensibility

Clinique and Teen Vogue Bring Young Women to Beauty Tour, Send Them Online

Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast

Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Open Stores With Musical Performances

MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

3 New Hotel Restaurants for Business Entertaining, Private Groups

Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History

Scripted Models Play Up Key Notes at Victoria's Secret Fragrance Preview

Ad Age Looks to Boost Conference Interaction With Beer Tasting, Lounge Seating

More Photos From Louis Vuitton's Garden-Style Launch: Life-Sized Trees, Mounds of Mums

News Archive for Salvation Army

NEWS 04.02.09 11:55 AM

With a New Bill in the Works, Caterers See Obstacles to Donating Leftover Food

Leftovers from Film Independent's Spirit Awards went to a food bank.
Photo: Sean Twomey Photography

It stands to reason, especially given the troubled U.S. economy, that uneaten food should be donated to needy people after events—particularly when standard catering protocol can include the preparation of 10 percent more food than needed for the expected guest count. But event professionals close to the issue know that it’s not just a humanitarian matter. Donation of leftover food includes logistic challenges and other potential obstacles. For some people, donation is worth the effort at all costs—but others aren’t convinced it’s always a viable option under the current circumstances.

In an effort to encourage the practice, California state senator Jenny Oropeza of Long Beach proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1443, early last year. The bill would have required caterers to inform clients they have the option of donating uneaten food, but the California Restaurant Association opposed the measure on the grounds that it would be inconvenient for its members, and it was eventually killed. In December, Oropeza reintroduced the idea as SB 35, with language still being written. The first hearing on the bill is April 21 before the senate committee on food and agriculture.

“We believe [the logistics] can be worked out if reasonable minds are sincere about achieving the goal of usable foods being donated instead of going into a landfill," said Oropeza’s Sacramento-based press officer, Ray Sotero. "In these economic times, people need a little extra help and need food on the table.” MORE >>

Salvation Army, Donating Event Leftovers, Angel Harvest, Project Angel Food