Become a Food Rescuer

FoodRescue.ca is available in every province and territory in Canada. You can register on FoodRescue.ca and our team will reach out to help you get started. If you have questions or need support, contact our Help Desk here or by phone at 647-910-2594.

Registered charities and not-for profit organizations can register on FoodRescue.ca to receive food donations. Our goal is to support any type of organization who would like access to rescued food, from snacks for children and youth recreational camps, to meals for seniors and food for shelters and drop-in programs. All are welcome! 

Food safety is our greatest priority. Rescuers should be knowledgeable about food safety requirements for their province or territory. Our team is here to share food safety resources or point you in the right direction for provincial or territorial requirements. Check out our Resources page for food safety guides.

Every province and territory in Canada has a Food Donation Act that protects organizations from liability when donating food. Under the Food Donation Acts, incorporated businesses, non-profits, employees and volunteers are not liable for damages resulting from the consumption of donated food.

Foodrescue.ca takes this assurance one step further by offering education to recipient organizations on safe food handling and by offering a digital paper trail for donations. Should a business need to recall a product, we know exactly where to find it.  

We take food safety seriously and ask that food donors and recipient organizations comply with their provincial or territorial food safety requirements. All facilities need to be up-to-date with health inspections and food safe handling training for any food preparation.  

If you wish to redistribute food rescued via FoodRescue.ca to other organizations, you must have a food redistribution agreement in place with these organizations. This is to help protect your organization. An easy way to do this is to encourage these organizations to register with FoodRescue.ca. Check in with the FoodRescue.ca team if you have any questions or would like a sample redistribution agreement.

Donations come in all shapes and sizes! Our goal is to ensure that no good food goes to unused, and so, we allow business the flexibility in making donations with whatever amount of surplus food they may have. 

As a rescuing organization, you have the flexibility to choose whether you would like to claim any donation, based on what is most appropriate and helpful for your programs.

Tips to deciding what to rescue:

• The volume that can be transported will depend on whether your Rescuers are available to walk, bike, or drive to pick up a donation.
• The type of food offered needs to match what your facility can transport and store such as fridge/freezer capacity, number of coolers and cold packs to safely transport temperature-sensitive products.

It is important to remember to follow food safety laws when rescuing temperature sensitive food as it is a big part of safe food recovery. For more information, please refer to our Food Transport Guide within the Resources section.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we cannot rescue:

• leftover food that has been ‘plated’ and served, including salad bar ingredients that are exposed to public touch
• prepared food that has been temperature abused – cannot be in the temperature danger zone for 2 hours or more
• food or drinks with alcohol and/or medicinal ingredients
• packaged food that’s been opened or has a broken seal
• sushi

To become a recipient of rescued food through FoodRescue.ca, register here. Your profile will be approved by our team within one week of registration. From there, you will receive notices when food rescues become available. Select the rescues you would like and go pick them up. You aren’t required to select any rescues if they don’t work for you.

Happy rescuing!