Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7144

Congress Proposes National System to Turn Surplus Food into Meals for Families in Need

Food Rescue Act

2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

Mr. Torres of New York introduced a bill to create a national network that finds extra food from farms and stores and gets it to people who need it. This system would help coordinate how surplus food is collected and delivered across the country.
The Department of Agriculture would provide grants to non-profits and local agencies to help them pick up, store, and move food that would otherwise go to waste. This includes funding for 'gleaning,' which is when volunteers collect leftover crops from farmers' fields.
The money can be used for essential equipment like refrigerated trucks and cold-storage warehouses. It also supports technology and apps that help businesses quickly match their extra food with local food banks in real-time.
The goal is to strengthen the connection between the food industry and charities. By improving logistics, the bill aims to make sure fresh food reaches food-insecure communities before it spoils.
This program would work alongside existing food bank efforts to reduce food waste and help families who struggle to afford groceries. The bill authorizes the government to spend the money necessary to get the system running.

AgricultureEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 16, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Jan 16, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles

Bronx Times·2 months ago

Rep. Ritchie Torres introduces ambitious food rescue bill aimed at solving U.S. hunger

Rep. Ritchie Torres introduced the Food Rescue Act to nationalize food rescue by redistributing surplus food to hungry communities. The bill, an amendment to the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, partners with organizations like Sharing Excess and provides USDA grants for logistics.

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PoliticsNY·2 months ago

Rep. Ritchie Torres introduces ambitious food rescue bill aimed at solving U.S. hunger

This article details Rep. Ritchie Torres's introduction of the Food Rescue Act (H.R. 7144), which aims to establish a national food rescue system. The bill would provide USDA grants for cold storage, transportation, and technology to connect surplus food from farms to food banks.

ABC7NY·5 months ago

NY Rep. Torres warns the Bronx most vulnerable to SNAP benefits loss

Rep. Ritchie Torres warned that Bronx residents are most vulnerable to a looming loss of SNAP benefits. He urged the administration to use emergency funds to sustain nutritional benefits, emphasizing that hunger is a logistics problem and that the U.S. produces enough food for everyone.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Food Rescue Act

Bill NumberHR 7144

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Sponsor

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.