On Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 11:00AM in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building (Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC), the Committee on Health & the Committee on Finance & Revenue will hold a Public Hearing on the Save Good Food Amendment Act of 2017.

Please help us pass this bill by giving a written or in person testimony for the public hearing. In-person testimonies make a big difference to our Councilmembers, so making the time to join this hearing will have a big impact on the bill’s success! If you can’t make it you can also submit a written testimony to express your support or suggest any changes.

DC Central Kitchen created a resource sheet about this bill and tips to help write a testimony.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wCRM0lkSWEo3k8KkUMWxAuvO-TjJFIivo4_6LzkpwpA/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

To submit a written testimony, register for an in-person testimony please contact Sarina Loy, Committee Assistant at sloy@dccouncil.us or notify the Councilmembers on the Health Committee about your support of the bill through the contact information listed here: http://dccouncil.us/committees/committee-on-health.

Save Good Food Act Summary

Councilmember Cheh introduced a bill this morning entitled “The Save Good Food Amendment Act of 2017″(http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/37273/B22-0072-Introduction.pdf).

This bill includes several strategies for decreasing wasted food in the District, including:

1) Providing a tax credit for grocery stores, restaurants, and urban farms that donate healthy foods to charitable organizations;
2) Expanding liability protections for food donors that donate directly to individuals, and for non-profit organizations that charge a small fee to cover the handling and preparation of food donations;
3) Requiring DOH to only require date labels on food products where there is an increased safety risk related to when the date passes; and
4) Requiring DOH and the Office of Waste Diversion (in DPW) to develop a food donation guide, including safety regulations, best practices, and a list of organizations that accept donated food. DOH will also have to train health inspectors on the information in the guide.

Thanks for your time!