food-donation

Donating Food to One Meal

To support and encourage businesses to donate food, legislation provides indemnity for companies that donate safe food to charitable organisations such as One Meal. If you have small, ad hoc donations such as food tins from your pantry, veggies from home gardens we would love to hear from you. One Meal agrees to collect the food from the donor and offers protection to the donor as long as the following conditions have been met:

 

Food suitable for collection

  • The food must be safe to eat when it leaves the possession or control of the donor
  • The donor gives One Meal any information it needs to have to ensure the ongoing safety of the food
  • Care has been taken when handling, storing and packing food
  • High Risk Food is stored in clean, covered food-grade containers
  • High risk foods such as: meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products and small goods, or foods which contain these ingredients, such as sandwiches, quiches and prepared salads, are kept below 5C or above 65C and out of the Temperature Danger Zone
  • The food is to be collected by One Meal in the shortest possible time
  • High-risk food left in the Temperature Danger Zone for more than 4 hours has been discarded
  • Everyone involved in handling donated food has maintained the highest standard of personal hygiene and cleanliness
  • The food container is labelled with the appropriate information required: product name, date prepared, use by date and where possible – ingredients.
  • The food will be in an edible state in 48 hours time from collection
  • “Use by” dates must have at least 4 days life remaining
  • “Best Before” dates must have at least 4 days life remaining for refrigerated items
  • “Best Before” dates may only be up to 3 months past for dry goods and providing the food is still fit for consumption

 

For that is NOT suitable for collection

  • Food past its “Used by date” (UBD)
  • Refrigerated food past its “Best Before” date
  • Dry goods that are 3 months past the “Best Before” date
  • Food that is damaged or perished to an extent that affects it reasonable use
  • Leaking or unsealed products
  • Cracked or broken eggs
  • High risk items
  • Food with visible mould or contamination
  • Refrigerated items not stored and maintained at less then 5 centigrade
  • Frozen items not stored and maintained at less than minus 15 centigrade
  • Food that has been left in a bain-marie
  • Foods that have been served to the public on a buffet and/or unwrapped and exposed

To enquire about donating food please call us on 0430 337 057 or 0430 391 971.