Donation limitations may be causing food waste, but businesses could also have less excess to give

GRAND FORKS — Though donors and charitable or nonprofit organizations are generally protected from civil or criminal liability when distributing donated food to the public, there are still limitations on what can be distributed and what ends up as waste.

"We would love to take everything, but we still fall under health code, and we get health inspected just like every other restaurant in town," said Daren Greene, dining services manager at the Northlands Rescue Mission.

The organization can't accept anything open or expired, and must keep cold and frozen items at certain temperatures to remain safe for consumption. Staff try to sort through donations while donors are in the building, so they can return any unusable food and the donor can utilize it in another way. Sometimes, people drop