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H.R. 3444 115th Congress House

Food Recovery Act of 2017

Official title: To decrease the incidence of food waste, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 27, 2017 Introduced by: Chellie Pingree Democratic · Maine See on congress.gov
Agriculture and Food Accounting and auditingAdministrative law and regulatory proceduresAgricultural conservation and pollutionAgricultural education
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Agricultural prices, subsidies, creditAlternative and renewable resourcesCharitable contributionsCivil actions and liabilityCongressional operations and organizationCongressional oversightConsumer affairsDepartment of AgricultureEducation programs fundingElementary and secondary educationExecutive agency funding and structureFood assistance and reliefFood industry and servicesFood supply, safety, and labelingGovernment information and archivesGovernment lending and loan guaranteesGovernment studies and investigationsIncome tax deductionsLivestockMarketing and advertisingMeatPublic contracts and procurementRetail and wholesale tradesSocial work, volunteer service, charitable organizationsSolid waste and recyclingState and local government operations
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 28, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jul 27, 2017
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jul 27, 2017
Introduced in House
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 Latest action July 28, 2017

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Food Recovery Act of 2017

This bill provides funding and establishes requirements to reduce food waste and standardize date labeling on food.

The bill authorizes grants or loans for activities related to:

  • raising awareness about wasted food and food recovery efforts to reduce the quantity of wasted food,
  • reducing food waste at schools and farms, and
  • installing facilities that include composting or anaerobic digesters that use food or crop waste to produce energy.

The bill provides funds for: (1) state storage and distribution costs under the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and (2) national media campaigns to decrease food waste.

The bill also:

  • establishes a Food Recovery Liaison within the Department of Agriculture (USDA),
  • specifies that composting is eligible for support under USDA's conservation programs,
  • expands the tax deduction for charitable contributions to include contributions of food inventory for nonprofit retail sales,
  • expands the liability protections for the donation of food, and
  • requires companies that receive federal food service contracts to donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations that assist food-insecure people.

The bill requires date labels on food packaging to include the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and "use by" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date.

Labelers may include a quality date on packaging, but must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products. No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product based on passage of the quality date of the product.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 952 Food Donation Act of 2017
  • S 1680 Food Recovery Act of 2017
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 7
 Cosponsors 31
All 31 Democratic 17
Polis, Jared
· Sep 10, 2018
 D
Smith, Adam
Washington · Jul 16, 2018
 D
Raskin, Jamie
Maryland · Apr 24, 2018
 D
Larsen, Rick
Washington · Apr 10, 2018
Napolitano, Grace
· Mar 5, 2018
Lee, Barbara
· Jan 30, 2018
 D
Chu, Judy
California · Jan 17, 2018
 D
Lieu, Ted
California · Jan 11, 2018
 D
Lofgren, Zoe
California · Jan 11, 2018
SERRANO, JOSE
· Jan 11, 2018
Lowenthal, Alan
· Dec 14, 2017
 D
McCollum, Betty
Minnesota · Dec 13, 2017
 D
Swalwell, Eric
California · Dec 13, 2017
Kuster, Ann
· Dec 6, 2017
 D
Tonko, Paul
New York · Nov 16, 2017
NOLAN, RICHARD
· Nov 14, 2017
 D
Quigley, Mike
Illinois · Nov 14, 2017
RUSH, BOBBY
· Nov 14, 2017
SLAUGHTER, LOUISE
· Nov 14, 2017
 D
Carbajal, Salud O.
California · Nov 9, 2017
 D
Huffman, Jared
California · Nov 9, 2017
 D
Adams, Alma S.
North Carolina · Nov 7, 2017
Blumenauer, Earl
· Nov 7, 2017
DEFAZIO, PETER
· Nov 7, 2017
 D
Evans, Dwight
Pennsylvania · Nov 7, 2017
Loebsack, David
· Nov 7, 2017
 D
McGovern, James P.
Massachusetts · Nov 7, 2017
 D
Moore, Gwen
Wisconsin · Nov 7, 2017
 D
Pocan, Mark
Wisconsin · Nov 7, 2017
RYAN, TIM
· Nov 7, 2017
 D
Veasey, Marc A.
Texas · Nov 7, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3444: Food Recovery Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3444/
MLA
"H.R. 3444: Food Recovery Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3444/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3444, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3444/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3444: Food Recovery Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3444/)
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