DES MOINES, Iowa  — Sixteen Iowa State Fair vendors have donated 6,000 pounds of surplus food to Food Bank of Iowa at the close of this year’s fair. (That’s half of last year’s 12,000 pounds, but not surprising given the fair attracted an all-time record number of visitors this year: 1,182,682.)

Food rescued is in addition to thousands of pounds of food donated by fairgoers on Sunday, Aug. 18. That will be sorted and weighed in the coming days. Emily Shearer, Food Bank of Iowa’s senior manager of food acquisition and advocacy said “With some vendors selling out of their most popular menu items by the last day of the fair, it only makes sense there would be fewer leftovers this year. We are grateful to these generous fair vendors who want to prevent waste as well as share food with neighbors facing hunger. We’re also thankful for our volunteers who helped pick up food today and collected donations from fairgoers at all the gates.”

Food Bank of Iowa has been collecting food that goes unsold at the Iowa State Fair since 2018. Among the food picked up by FBOI staff and volunteers Aug. 19, the majority was delivered immediately to metro partners Hope Ministries and Catholic Charities. 791 pounds of bulk Barksdale chocolate chip cookies (baked) will be frozen and repackaged at Food Bank of Iowa this week and placed on inventory for quick distribution across the 55 counties FBOI serves. In addition to cookies, other food items donated included:

• Fresh produce including peppers, limes, lettuce, tomatoes and onions
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Milk
• Cheese
• Assorted bread (pita, buns)
• Pulled pork

The USDA estimates up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted every year. According to Feeding America, that equates to more than $473 billion in food thrown away every year. Food Bank of Iowa annually diverts more than 8.3 million pounds of food from the landfill.

Food Bank of Iowa photo

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Thanks to these Iowa State Fair vendors for allowing Food Bank of Iowa to rescue safe, wholesome food for Iowans facing food insecurity:

• Midwest Dairy
• Iowa Sheep Industry Association
• Iowa Pork Producers Association
• Jalapeno Pete’s
• West Des Moines United Methodist Church
• Biscuit Bar
• Veggie Table
• Stockman’s Inn
• JR’s SouthPork Ranch
• The Depot
• Iowa State Fair
• Versova
• Smith’s
• Fair Fare LLC
• Iowa State Fair General Store
• Brafford