Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act

The federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. The Act was created to encourage the donation of food and grocery products to qualified non-profit organizations and provides liability protection to food donors.

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act encourages the donation and distribution of wholesale food and protects donors such as restaurants, caterers, and grocers from any civil or criminal liabilities. This act allows them to donate their unused and leftover food to non-profit organizations, such as the DMARC Food Pantry Network. Under this act, donors may give food if the food is suitable for consumption, meaning its nature, age, packaging and condition is suitable to be consumed by those in need. In turn, DMARC is also free from any criminal or civil liability when the food is donated, knowing that is in a suitable condition to be consumed by those in need.

Download a PDF of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act