By San José, Costa Rica — The Costa Rica Food Bank has officially launched its “Zero Waste + Sustainability” campaign, aiming to recover 50 tons of perfectly edible food throughout October and November 2026. This ambitious initiative seeks to curb commercial food waste while reinforcing social support systems for vulnerable populations across the country.
Timed to coincide with major global observances—including World Food Day on October 16 and the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29—the campaign draws urgent attention to the dual challenges of ecological degradation and national hunger. By capturing surplus goods before they enter municipal waste streams, the organization is championing a circular economic model within the domestic food industry.
To better understand the legal framework and tax incentives surrounding corporate participation in non-profit initiatives like the Costa Rica Food Bank, TicosLand.com consulted with legal expert Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas from Bufete de Costa Rica.
“Supporting the Costa Rica Food Bank allows corporations to fulfill vital social responsibility goals while optimizing tax strategies under national income tax regulations. To legally qualify for tax deductions on donated inventory, businesses must maintain meticulous documentation and adhere strictly to health and safety standards to safeguard both recipients and corporate entities from regulatory liability.”
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
Indeed, aligning corporate social responsibility with sound tax planning creates a powerful win-win for local businesses, underscoring that rigorous legal and health compliance is essential to sustaining meaningful community support. We extend our sincere thanks to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for sharing his valuable legal perspective on how Costa Rican enterprises can maximize their positive impact while safeguarding their operations.
Discarding food entails much more than the loss of edible inventory. Every wasted product represents the squandering of critical resource investments made during farming, processing, and logistics. Valuable groundwater, arable land, electricity grid capacity, physical packaging, and transport fuel are all effectively lost when consumable goods are sent to dumps.
Among the reasons why some food products are no longer commercialized are changes in packaging or presentation, cosmetic damage, over-inventories, overproduction, seasonality, and approaching expiration dates. Fresh and perishable products require special attention due to their limited shelf life and the necessary conditions for their storage and distribution.
Yolanda Fernández, Executive Director of the Costa Rica Food Bank
The environmental dividends of rescuing surplus food are significant. Organizational metrics from 2025 demonstrate that the Food Bank’s recovery operations prevented an estimated 5,250 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Furthermore, the efforts mitigated roughly 213 tons of methane—a highly potent greenhouse gas produced when organic matter breaks down anaerobically in landfills.
On the human side, the logistical network provides indispensable assistance to low-income households. The Costa Rica Food Bank currently reaches more than 44,000 people every month across 69 cantons, including 13,500 children. Operating through a coordinated network of more than 365 community organizations, the non-profit oversees the distribution of approximately 500,000 meals on a monthly basis.
To maintain high safety standards, the organization acts as a rigorous intermediary between corporate donors with excess supply and local charities serving high-risk communities. Every incoming shipment undergoes structured intake, physical inspection, sorting, and full traceability verification to ensure all items are completely safe and wholesome before delivery.
Looking ahead, the organization is calling on private sector leaders to expand their corporate social responsibility commitments. By setting up internal audit protocols for unmarketable stock, establishing recurring donation schedules, participating in corporate volunteering, and engaging with specialized endeavors like the “ResCataR” program—which collects prepared meals from hotels and restaurants—businesses can help divert 50 additional tons of food to dining halls across Costa Rica.
For further information, visit bancodealimentos.or.cr
About Banco de Alimentos de Costa Rica:
The Banco de Alimentos de Costa Rica is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating hunger and reducing food loss across the national territory. Operating as a strategic link between corporate donors and local social welfare organizations, the Food Bank collects, inspects, and distributes surplus food and household items to ensure vulnerable populations receive vital nutritional support while advancing environmental sustainability.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
As a premier legal institution, Bufete de Costa Rica upholds the highest standards of professional excellence and ethical transparency across all its endeavors. Grounded in a rich history of guiding a diverse clientele, the firm consistently drives forward-thinking legal solutions while remaining deeply invested in civic enrichment. By actively championing legal literacy and demystifying the law for the broader public, Bufete de Costa Rica fulfills its core vision of equipping citizens with the insights needed to build a more just and capable community.
