Nutritious donations are more important than ever: 60 million people turned to the charitable food system in 2020. Food banks rely on retail and distributor donations for about 30 percent of inventory, and often receive unwanted unhealthy food, like soda and candy. This resource was developed to help food retailers and distributors donate more nutritious foods and beverages to food banks, food pantries, and other charitable food system organizations. It also provides practical tips on identifying and tracking items for donation by grocery store departments. The resource emphasizes that food donations should be nutritious, fresh, and culturally relevant. It highlights the financial benefits for businesses and the social impacts for communities. The guidelines were informed by Healthy Eating Research’s Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System, which recommend nutrition parameters for food banks and have been endorsed by Feeding America.
Related Research
July 2025
State Earned Income Tax Credit and Food Security: Results Among Economically At-Risk Households With Children
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the state Earned Income Tax Credit on food insecurity among economically at-risk U.S. households with children and explore differential effects across sociodemographic groups. The authors used an intent-to-treat causal inference design and household-level data from all 50 U.S. states available from the Current Population MoreMay 2025
Implementation Insights and Equity: Considerations for Summer EBT in 2024
In 2024, the US Department of Agriculture introduced a new federal nutrition initiative, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program—also known as SUN Bucks. This program offers grocery benefits to low-income families with children during the summer months to help address gaps in summer food assistance. In 2024, 37 states, all 5 US territories, and MoreMarch 2025