Donations Welcome.

• Author: Farquhar, Doug
• Position: FOOD SAFETY - Brief article

Lawmakers introduced 756 food-safety bills in 2018--from mobile vendors to labeling to edible cannabis--with 170 laws enacted and 18 resolutions adopted.

Food donation was the hot topic by far, with 72 bills introduced, followed by food service in schools (57 bills) and restaurants (57 bills). Not far behind were cottage foods (48 bills), milk and raw milk (45 bills) and genetically modified organisms (18 bills).

Lawmakers' concerns about donations, including safe food-handling procedures and the type of foods that can be donated, are not covered in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Code, and few states have laws regarding donations. That puts the burden on donating facilities, which can be discouraged from providing food, though things are changing as lawmakers seek to reduce food waste.

Six nutrition-related bills were...