The Food Rescue Act creates a new national system to rescue and redistribute surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Right now, tons of perfectly good food gets thrown away by farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and food manufacturers, while millions of Americans struggle to afford enough to eat. This bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set up a coordinated network that connects food businesses with nonprofits and food banks to get that surplus food to people who need it.

Here's how it works: The USDA will offer grants to food rescue organizations and nonprofits to help them recover surplus food from farms and stores, transport it safely (including keeping cold foods cold), store it, and deliver it to communities. The grants can pay for the trucks, warehouses, refrigeration equipment, and technology systems needed to track where surplus food is and match it with organizations that can distribute it. Organizations applying for grants need to explain what food they'll rescue, how many people they'll help, and which partners they'll work with—like farmers, grocery chains, and local food banks.

The bill coordinates this new system with existing USDA food assistance programs so everything works together smoothly. Essentially, it's trying to solve a problem where food is wasted on one end while people go hungry on the other, by building the infrastructure and partnerships needed to move that food efficiently to where it's needed most.