SecondBite loves to receive bulk food donations that meet our needs and specifications. If you have smaller, ad hoc donations, we recommend contacting a local charity to donate the stock.
To support businesses to donate, legislation provides indemnity for companies that donate safe food to charitable organisations such as SecondBite.
Our specifications for food donations
At SecondBite, we’re serious about food safety, and so we require the following conditions to be met for us to receive food donations:
- 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 5°C or above 60°C and out of the Temperature Danger Zone
- The food is to be collected by SecondBite 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 (esp. allergens)
- The food will still be fit for human consumption 48 hours after collection
- ‘Use By’ dates must have at least 2 days life remaining
- ‘Best Before’ dates must have at least 2 days life remaining for refrigerated items
- ‘Best Before’ dates may be up to 3 months past for wet goods (jams, spreads, sauces etc.), and 4-6 months for dry goods (biscuits, crackers, chips etc.) providing the food is still fit for consumption and has not been exposed to any potential contamination i.e. excess moisture.
What cannot be donated
- Food past its ‘Use By’ date
- Refrigerated food past its ‘Best Before’ date
- Dry goods that are 6 months past the ‘Best Before’ date
- Food that is damaged or perished to an extent that affects its reasonable use
- Leaking or unsealed products
- Cracked or broken eggs (remove broken eggs from a carton before donating)
- Food with visible mould or contamination
- Refrigerated items not stored and maintained at less than 5°C
- Frozen items not stored and maintained at less than minus 15°C
- 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.