Food for Thought

How Can Beacon Hill Make It Easier for Restaurants to Donate Leftovers?

Photo: istockphoto

The Globe offers up an op-ed in support of the leftovers-to-charity initative: “Leftover, still edible food from Boston restaurants should be served up later in soup kitchens and food pantries around the city. There’s no good reason why day-old baked goods and vats of soup should fill dumpsters instead of hungry stomachs. But in Boston, much of that food doesn’t make it to the plates of those who need it because of two barriers: food-safety guidelines and the threat of lawsuits from the rare case of illness caused by donated foods.” Sadly, many restaurants are afraid to donate given these concerns.

The Globe says there’s an easy way around the problems, though: “The law would eliminate that threat by holding restaurants harmless in the event of illness thought to be caused by donated foods.” Of course, just the same, meals served to people in need should be handled properly, just as if they were being served to a paying costumer.

It’s a worthy idea and definitely something to consider next time you ask for half of your hulking dry-aged burger and truffle fries to go.

Four Star Meals for the Needy [Globe]

How Can Beacon Hill Make It Easier for Restaurants to Donate Leftovers?