Connecticut lawmakers are advancing a bill that would require state officials to develop guidelines for donating surplus edible food from large supermarkets to nonprofit organizations, aiming to reduce waste and expand access to food for residents in need.
Senate Bill 382, An Act Concerning Edible Food Recovery, would direct state officials to establish guidelines for safely redirecting unsold but edible food from large supermarkets to nonprofit organizations by Jan. 1, 2027. The bill applies to supermarkets with at least 15,000 square feet of retail sales area.
State Sen. Saud Anwar, Senate chair of the Public Health Committee, said the bill is a way to tackle both hunger and food waste by offering opportunities to increase donations from unsold supermarket food.
“Food insecurity, which remains a challenge, is going to require all hands on deck,” Anwar said.
Supporters of the bill say the proposal comes as there are increasing pressures on food access across the state.
“We have a perfect storm of rising food insecurity, a looming waste disposal crisis and recent federal funding cuts,” said Karen Saggese, the Fairfield County lead site director for Food Rescue US, a national nonprofit network dedicated to reducing food waste and hunger.
Saggese said that the bill is key to advancing Connecticut’s food recovery strategy as a whole.
“Broadening the definition is really about moving beyond the traditional food bank model to create a more resilient community-based network,” Saggese said.
Supporters who testified at a public hearing on March 4 said the bill would improve coordination between businesses and hunger relief organizations, making it easier to redirect usable food that might otherwise be thrown away.
Many people and organizations that testified in favor of the bill cited Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap estimates that found more than 500,000 Connecticut residents face food insecurity, including over 120,000 children.
In his testimony, Wayne Pesce, the president of the Connecticut Food Association, said food retailers contribute resources to local communities through food donations and direct financial support for local civic organizations, which he said “moves millions of pounds of food annually to Connecticut residents.”
He told lawmakers that the association supports Senate Bill 382 but urged them to ensure any new guidelines do not undermine the speed, flexibility and scale of existing food donation efforts.
Anwar said that the priority should be donation rather than disposal. “Food waste is not good for the environment, especially edible food,” he said.
While smaller community stores also contribute, the bill is designed to focus on larger supermarkets, Anwar said.
The bill defines “surplus edible food” as safe, unsold food that may be imperfect, near expiration or in damaged packaging that does not affect safety. By Jan. 1, 2027, the commissioner of consumer protection, in consultation with the commissioner of public health, must develop official guidelines for donating surplus food.
“Food distribution organizations we are targeting will be larger,” said Anwar. “We’ve found while all food organizations make generous contributions, there may be opportunity here for larger stores to do more.”
If adopted, Connecticut would join states including California, New York and Rhode Island that already have laws aimed at redirecting surplus edible food to people in need.
