Jim Larson

Vice President of Development, Food Donation Connection, LLC

Session: Turning Surplus into Solutions: Tackling Food Waste Through Collaboration

Session: Action Across the Industry: Retail & Foodservice Driving Sustainability

Founded in 1992, Food Donation Connection (FDC) fulfills its mission to “Let Nothing Be Wasted” by coordinating surplus food donation programs for restaurants, grocers, convenience stores, and distribution centers across the United States and internationally. FDC connects donor partners with qualified local nonprofit organizations and manages the entire process—ensuring safe, scheduled pickups and consistent reporting that supports both community impact and business objectives.

Jim Larson leads the development program for FDC. Since joining the organization in 1998, Jim has played a key role in the growth and expansion of FDC’s Harvest Program, which coordinates donations of prepared, perishable food to local nonprofit organizations nationwide. Through his leadership, Harvest programs have been successfully implemented for major brands including Darden Restaurants, YUM! Brands, McDonald's, Papa John's International, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, among many others. Jim’s work has helped national restaurant brands reduce waste, strengthen community partnerships, and realize measurable financial and social returns through structured surplus food donation programs.

In addition to his work with national restaurant brands, Jim has provided comments to members of the U.S. Congress to encourage the donation of surplus prepared food by advocating for improvements to food donation tax laws. His efforts have helped advance policies that support increased food recovery while strengthening the financial incentives for businesses to participate in structured surplus food donation programs.