SLFHC Food Recovery Program

What is food recovery?

Food recovery means collecting edible food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to feed people in need. This is the highest and best use for food that would otherwise go to waste. Feeding hungry people through food recovery is the best use for surplus food and a vital way for California to conserve resources and reduce waste thrown in landfills. 

Our mission is to defeat hunger in Alameda County.

We have a variety of food recovery partners who support our food recovery program, by providing us and our clients with a  variety of food, like fresh produce, meats, eggs, bread, and more.

In 2021, we bought a refrigerated cargo van through a grant from the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Having this van increased the amount of food we were able to pick up from our food recovery partners. 

Looking for a recovery program to partner with?

If you are looking for a food recovery program that enables you to distribute food and support your SB1383 program, please reach out to us slzfoodbank@gmail.com.

We love our Food Recovery Partners

Logos of our food recovery partners.

Food Waste in California

According to, CalRecycle “Californians send 11.2 billion pounds of food to landfills each year, some of which was still fresh enough to have been recovered to feed people in need. While billions of meals go to waste, millions of Californians don’t have enough to eat.”

“In 2018, 4.3 million Californians (10.8% of California’s population) didn’t have enough to eat.  By May 2020, that number had doubled, surging to 9.2 million Californians (23% of California’s population) who didn’t know where their next meal would come from during the COVID-19 economic crisis, according to the COVID Impact Survey.”

Food Recovery & SB 1383 in California

By 2025, California must be diverting 20% of edible and safe food from going into landfills and be used to reduce food waste and address food insecurity for Californians. California SB 1383 law says:

    • 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

For more information, please visit CA.GOV Cal Recycle.