• 33.1 Million Pounds of Food Collected and Distributed
• 99.3 Million Servings of Fresh Produce Provided
• 7,488 Passionate Volunteers Engaged
• 2,552 Events to End Hunger Held
• 1,156 Agencies Received Food

Myth #1: Farmers believe food waste is not a problem. Have you heard this common misconception? At the beginning of the pandemic we heard stories of entire farm fields of good, fresh food rotting and going to waste. Why would they grow that much food and then do nothing with it?? Far from pleased with such losses, farmers are heartbroken to see food go to waste.

Farmers donate food when they’re in a pinch. They identify a portion of their harvest is (or soon will be) unharvested, unused, or unsold. A labor shortage could keep food from being harvested or road construction might keep shoppers from purchasing at the farm market today. If the temperature in the refrigerated tractor trailer is off by a single degree, which doesn’t affect food quality but shortens its shelf life by a couple of days, the grocery distribution center could reject the entire load. 

Some farmers donate food they weren't able to sell at local markets.

Many farmers donate unsold food that was picked for grocery stores.

Most farmers simply donate when the harvest provides an abundance.

Farmers and growers are opposed to inefficiency and any form of waste at their core. They work year-round against unpredictable weather systems to grow the food that feeds the nation. They despise the possibility that any of the literal hard-earned fruits (and vegetables) of their labors would be used inefficiently, spent carelessly, allowed to decay, or discarded as worthless.

Farmers know a quick call to SoSA can put their good food to its highest use—feeding people. 

Already this year, more than 400 farmers donated millions of pounds of good, farm-fresh food to SoSA. A significant portion of that food rescued and distributed through SoSA’s network was first quality or A+ grade. It was simply good food that without intervention would have over ripened and eventually gone bad.

This leads to another unsettling assumption:

Myth #2: Food donated to hunger relief agencies and food banks must not be any good. You’d think if it were good, beautiful, or edible that farmers would sell it. That’s also not always true.

Vegetables donated because they're "ugly" might still look perfect.

U-pick farms donate when plants grow quickly & customers are slow.

Fruits overlooked during the harvest are perfect for gleaning.

Perhaps the farmer grew more than was needed for a sale contract, or the harvested crop didn’t quite meet the contract specifications for size, weight, or color. Farmers donate to SoSA, sometimes from their “first fruits” because they’re personally committed to that but often do so after having exhausted all other channels to keep good food from being lost as waste. 

They always try first to sell their surplus to wholesalers, local stores, and alternative markets. Some even pursue secondary markets like baby food and juice companies that don’t care about color/size/shape. While food donations can create tax incentives, it’s best for farmers to sell their products— like most businesses. 

With this information, you can dispel these myths when you encounter them! Next time you hear a conversation about food waste you can speak up and share your knowledge!

These potatoes are the wrong shape but they are still good to eat.

Farmers invite SoSA gleaners when their bell peppers ripen early.

SoSA gleans blueberries in areas farmers' machines cannot reach.

You can raise awareness that farmers believe good food should be used efficiently, carefully, while it’s fresh, and treated as a valuable resource to accomplish an incredible goal— feeding people.

If that’s a belief you share with farmers, then SoSA needs you… When there’s an abundance of good, fresh food available, SoSA needs people who believe in the importance of reducing waste and ending hunger to give and to serve, together rescuing as much good food as possible for hungry families.

Use the buttons below to take the next step. Donate your dollars, volunteer your hours, refer your friends, and involve your community organizations— Your action will make a difference for neighbors in need through SoSA.

P.S. - SoSA’s NEXT Quarterly Newsletter is about food waste and includes ways you can make a difference. Sign up today to receive a copy of SoSA’s quarterly e-newsletter.

Envisioning a world without hunger, in which physical and spiritual hungers are met by God's abundance and grace through Jesus Christ, the Society of St. Andrew brings people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishment to hungry neighbors. The Society of St. Andrew is a 40-year old national nonprofit hunger-relief ministry that improves the environment by keeping good food out of landfills and feeds hungry people by sharing rescued fruits and vegetables with front-line feeding agencies (soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and food pantries, etc.) across the country. More information is available online at EndHunger.org.