Grocery and food retail donation guide: decision tree, cold chain rules, and organics timing
September 3, 2025
Use this quick reference to move surplus food from shelf to safe donation with confidence. The interactive tree walks teams through wholesomeness, packaging, date marks, cold chain and traceability in under a minute. Disclaimers provide copy-ready language for temperature control, labeling, allergens and recall records. The organics timing grid sets holding limits and end-of-day actions so nothing lingers, smells, or attracts pests. Add it to your SOPs or training hub and keep diversion high without slowing the floor.
- Refrigerated donations must verify at or below 4 °C at transfer. Hot hold at or above 60 °C. Frozen must be hard frozen at or below −18 °C.
- Maintain continuous temperature control during staging and transport. Log any time outside control.
- Do not donate temperature abused items. Examples: more than 2 hours in the 4 °C to 60 °C danger zone, or 10 °C to 44 °C where applicable, or any sign of thawing, reheat, off odour or off flavour, or texture change.
- Cooked or ready-to-eat items must be rapidly cooled per HACCP or SOP before transfer.
- Products must have ingredient and allergen labeling intact or a clear ingredient sheet.
- Date marks must remain legible. Donation past Best Before only if the recipient accepts and quality is sound.
- Remove or deface price labels if requested by the recipient to prevent resale.
- Record item, lot or UPC, quantity, storage condition, and transfer date and time for recall response.
- Use covered, food safe totes. Keep raw and ready-to-eat items separated in transit.
- Recipient confirms receipt condition and temperature where applicable.
- Health Canada: Food Retail and Food Services Code.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Date marking and food labeling guidance for industry.
- Ontario Ministry of Health: Food Premises Regulation O. Reg. 493/17 temperature control requirements.
- MAPAQ Quebec: Guide des bonnes pratiques d’hygiène et de salubrité alimentaires.
- U.S. FDA: Food Code 2022 for temperature equivalents and core definitions.
- Feeding America: Food industry donation guidelines and acceptance standards.
- Food Banks Canada: Safe food handling toolkit for donations.
- ReFED: Best practices for donation and food waste prevention.
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