So I read that the Super Bowl folks are going to donate all the left-over food to the local food bank. That's great, but I was under the impression that this wasn't a good thing to do because it opens up the chance for people to sue if they got sick by eating it.

I work at a hotel in Maui which throws away so much good food after every banquet. It makes me sick knowing that there are so many people who could use this nurishment. I've always been told they don't give it away because of the risk of getting sued.

 If anyone can offer advice or tell me how to get around this, I would love to reapproach the management of this hotel and all the other hotel companies that throw away perfectly good food out of fear of "getting sued." If anyone knows of any similar programs that could be implemented in Hawaii, please let me know.

Mahalo!

I was told by a friend recently that some states have legislation that makes companies/organizations not liable if they are donating food. A college dining service in New York stated the concern of getting sued, however it turns out that New York is one of the states with this legislation. So, it's our responsibility to show this legislation to them and ask that policies be changed. Good luck!

I don't see how someone is able to sue for getting sick from eating FREE food. Since it's not paid for, no liability should be present. IMHO

We always work with a local food bank on this project and their people are trained and licensed in food safety. It is true what you said about liability. Most states now have "good samaritan" laws in effect. Those laws protect donors from liability - and most restaurants and hotels know that.

So we try to help the local food banks get past that barrier so that they can recover food from Super Bowl events and continue to recover food from other events after Super Bowl has moved on.

Jack Groh
Director
NFL Environmental Program