Food Program Resources

Deschutes County Environmental Health licenses and supports the operation of over 1100 restaurants and other food service facilities that serve the public Whether you are looking for resources related to catering from a Commissary Kitchen to serving food at a local festival at the park, you'll find helpful information here!

Are you interested in reducing food waste from your food facility? We can help!

Did you know that more than one-third of the food produced worldwide ends up in the landfill? This means that once the food is picked or processed, 30% of that food never gets consumed. There are many implications of food waste. The effects are complex and global. Food waste alone produces about six percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Donating excess food can also people feed people who are experiencing food insecurity.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have created a goal to decrease food waste by 50% by 2030 in the United States. In their efforts to achieve this goal, the EPA has created a Wasted Food Scale. The Wasted Food Scale prioritizes actions that prevent and divert wasted food from disposal. Tiers of the scale highlight different pathways for preventing or managing wasted food, arranged in order from most preferred on the top left to least preferred on the top right.

The Surplus Food Donation Toolkit, linked below, provides information on donating excess food to those in need, laws about feeding animals with food scraps, composting, and land application of food waste. We answer the most common questions and concerns about reducing food waste:

"What's my responsibility if I donate food and someone claims to get sick?"

"Is there a Food Donation App that I can use to sell excess food at the end of the day?"

"Can I make food at home and donate it to those in need?"

"Can I donate my food scraps to a farmer?"

"Do waste haulers in Central Oregon have a commercial composting program?"

Find answers to all of these questions, and many more, in the Deschutes County Surplus Food Donation Toolkit linked below. Or explore the "Too Good to Go" Food Donation App in the "Links" section below to join 175,000 other businesses fighting food waste and start selling your surplus food today!

Would you like to report a case of foodborne illness or another public health concern?

Please provide us with some basic information about yourself so that we can reach out to you for follow-up.