Clinton Administration Accomplishments
                                              Release No. 0089.97

Fact Sheet

            Clinton Administration Accomplishments 
                   Gleaning and Food Recovery
                         March 20, 1997


     President Clinton issued an executive memorandum so that all Federal
     departments and agencies will recover excess food.  The memorandum,
     issued Nov. 23, 1996, also established an interagency task force on
     gleaning and food recovery that will be headed by Secretary Glickman

     On Oct. 1, 1996, the President signed into law the Bill Emerson Good
     Samaritan Food Donation Act, which will significantly increase the
     amount of food recovered by creating a uniform national standard of
     liability protection for non-profit groups, corporations, and private
     citizens who act in good faith recover excess food

     Last fall USDA published A Citizens Guide to Food Recovery, a resource
     on food recovery programs for businesses, community-based profit or
     nonprofit organizations, private citizens and public officials

     In April 1996, USDA established a toll free number -- 1-800 GLEAN IT -- to provide information on local gleaning and food recovery
     activities.  Since then more than 3,000 people have called the hotline

     In December 1995, Glickman hosted a National Roundtable on Gleaning
     and Food Recovery and since then has hosted several regional forums to
     find solutions to barriers to food donation

     This past winter, USDA worked with the Fox Television Network to air a
     public service announcement on the popular Fox show Party of Five. 
     The PSA promoted food recovery and provided viewers with the 1-800
     GLEAN IT number

     At the Olympic Games in Atlanta and throughout the summer of  96, a
     handful of AmeriCorps members aided by USDA recovered over 1,000 tons
     of excess food --- enough to provide more than 1.3 million meals.

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