In the case of fresh produce, fruits and vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards for shape and color might otherwise be discarded.

[1] Products that are at or past their "sell by" dates or are imperfect in any way such as a bruised apple or day-old bread are donated by grocery stores, food vendors, restaurants, and farmers markets.

[6] In recent years, the EU has taken considerable action to combat food loss and waste as part of their Sustainable Development Goals.

[4] In October 2021, the city of Milan, Italy, won the Earthshot Prize for a citywide project to redistribute surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants and companies.

[9] In most cases, rescued food is being saved from being thrown into a dumpster and, ultimately, landfills or other garbage disposals.

Also, to help rescue food that would otherwise be wasted, the USDA has expanded their Farm Storage Facility Loan Program.

This organizational model often allows food rescues to provide nutritional assistance more quickly, with more flexibility and accessibility than other types of hunger relief programs.

[17] Greenhouse gasses from rotting foods contribute to warmer global temperatures and extreme weather events, sea level rise, as well as ozone depletion and increased risk of diseases.

[19] Every US dollar spent on rescuing food from going to the landfill or compost saves roughly 7.5 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.

The program provided over 45,000 meals to individuals experiencing food insecurity, as well as preventing approximately 108 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from releasing into the atmosphere, the equivalent of 250 barrels of oil consumed.

A higher food potential can support self-sustainability and self-sufficiency, which in turn can infer both environmental, economic and social benefits.

The Flashfood app, designed by Josh Domingues, is being used in Canada and the United States to keep edible food from becoming waste.

It notifies users of deeply discounted groceries, encouraging shoppers to buy soon-to-be-remaindered foods.

[5][26][27][28] Initially focusing on restaurants and bakeries, the Too Good to Go app enables customers to buy discounted Surprise Bags of food.

[34][35][36] As described in Virginia State University's standard for animal care: "Food must be fresh, palatable, uncontaminated with biological or chemical agents, and nutritionally adequate for the intended species.

Composting has many benefits over general waste landfills, including reduced methane gas production and improving the quality of the soil.

The 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for a 50% reduction of global food waste at the retail and consumer levels worldwide by 2030.

[57] Harvest Kitchens use donated food to prepare meals, which are then taken and redistributed to programs that serve seniors, the homeless, children, and others.

It was developed in cooperation with the District of Squamish, BC Housing, Helping Hands, Vancouver Coastal Health, and the Food Bank.

People can shop privately from their homes, but are asked to provide government-issued documentation to verify that those using the system are in need (low income, disabled, etc.).

In its Community Kitchens, No Food Waste makes and sells inexpensive hot meals for daily wage earners and others.

Women from shelters and self-help groups help to staff the community kitchens and receive training in employable skills.

With the help of dietitians from the Ministry of Health of Israel, Leket holds nutrition workshops in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Amharic.

Langlands began by picking up food one night a week from a local store for the Wellington Women’s Refuge.

As of 2022, Kaibosh operates three branches in Wellington, redistributing 60 tonnes of surplus food each month to more than 130 charities and organisations.

[77] The distributors of rescued food were mainly charitable organizations, often religious, like the Salvation Army and the Church City Mission.

Distribution of free food was often used as a method for charitable organizations to enter into contact with people who need further help.

[51] Beginning in Seoul, South Korea, in 2013, households were assessed a fee for recycling, based on the amount of food waste they discarded.

[88] The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supported the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals of a 50% reduction of food waste.

[93] Other nationally known food rescue organizations include The Farmlink Project in more than 48 states, Food Rescue US in more than 20 states and Washington, DC;[97][98] La Soupe, based in Cincinnati, Ohio;[99] City Harvest in New York City;[100] and Philabundance and Sharing Excess in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.