Why is it So Hard for Planners to Donate Food?

If you ask planners who have tried to donate leftover food from their meetings, many will say they hit a wall when they brought it up to their host hotels.

Either they’re told they aren’t allowed to, or they don’t want to do the extra work, or they’re unaware that there’s a law specifically protecting donors from liability.

The Food Donation Improvement Act of 2023 and its predecessor, the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, passed in 1996, were designed to protect companies from liability for donations made in good faith to nonprofit organizations, if a recipient should get sick and sue. The IRS has even created incentives for businesses to encourage donations. 

Food waste is a ‘very high priority’ for more than half (55%) of meeting planners surveyed in 2024 by Astrapto, an events sustainability consultant. Yet, more than half (55%) of respondents reported that instances of venues initiating those discussions were ‘scarce.’

For many of those who do make the request,  “I get a flat out no every time I ask,” said Bonni Scepkowski, president, Stellar Meetings and Events.. “Then I ask them to escalate and it’s always 50/50. I try to explain that the Good Samaritan Act protects everyone, but they are still uncomfortable with it.”

“I find most convention centers have donation programs and almost no hotel has one,” said Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton, founder of Astrapto. “It’s important to ask about donation nuances. For example, plated meals are much less likely to be donated because of the time and effort that would be required to combine all of that into containers. It’s an interesting balance because things like crudité and dip can be less wasteful if individually served; if they are not served that way, it’s extremely unlikely they would ever be donated.”

All the major chains have food waste initiatives in place. Marriott, for example,  partners with Scholars of Sustenance. Hyatt has set a 2030 goal to reduce food waste per square meter across its managed hotels by 50%, compared to 2019 levels. In April, Hilton became the first signatory from the hospitality sector to sign the U.S. Food Waste Pact, a national voluntary agreement focused on reducing food waste in the U.S., co-led by ReFED and the World Wildlife Fund. 

There are also several apps that also simplify the process. The Food Rescue U.S. app, for example, connects donors with hunger relief organizations. All they need to do is fill out their information and scheduling preferences in the app and its ‘food rescuers’ will pick up and deliver the food to local soup kitchens and food pantries. 

Despite this, for many meeting planners it still comes down to the policies of the individual hotel. One hotel, for example, will not donate soup or oatmeal because they do not have the right kinds of containers, while another won’t donate  prepared vegetables, only fresh. “So with all that complexity, you can see why sometimes people just don’t bother,” said Benton.

Start at the Source

Planners can also make a difference by having a discussion up front about waste avoidance and overproduction. “The amount of food that’s wasted is criminal, but like all problems that appear simple, it’s complicated,” said Teresa Ward, director, Plus4Group. “The problems are with over-ordering and possible food contamination when it’s left out in a buffet-style presentation.” Some hotels have a strict two-hour rule; after that, food can not be consumed.

Ask your hotel about their food waste practices. The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, for example, uses a food waste solution called Lean Path, which allows hotels to measure waste and avoid food overproduction; and Power Knot biodigesters, machines that, in a 24-hour period, can break down 5,000 pounds of food waste.

As an industry, we need more of a holistic focus, rather than just discussing donation, said Benton. “We put a lot of focus on recovery and diversion, and those are vital. However, the massive opportunity we are not focusing on is the prolific over-ordering and over-producing.“