2018 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 13 - Courts and Court Procedure
Damages and Limitations on Actions
Article 21 - Damages
Part 1 - General Provisions
§ 13-21-113. Donation of items of food - exemption from civil and criminal liability
(1) No farmer, retail food establishment, or processor, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer of food who donates items of food to a nonprofit organization for use or distribution in providing assistance to needy or poor persons nor any nonprofit organization in receipt of such gleaned or donated food who transfers said food to another nonprofit organization for use or distribution in providing assistance to needy or poor persons shall be liable for damages in any civil action or subject to prosecution in any criminal proceeding resulting from the nature, age, condition, or packaging of such donated foods; except that this exemption shall not apply to the willful, wanton, or reckless acts of donors which result in injury to recipients of such donated foods. For the purposes of this section, "retail food establishment" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 25-4-1602 (14), C.R.S., and "nonprofit organization" means any organization which is exempt from the income tax imposed under article 22 of title 39, C.R.S.; except that the term "nonprofit organization" does not include organizations which sell or offer to sell such donated items of food.
(2) Nothing in this section relieves any nonprofit organization that serves or provides food to needy persons for their consumption from any liability for any injury, including, but not limited to, injury resulting from ingesting donated foods, as a result of receiving, accepting, gathering, or removing any foods donated under this section; except that a nonprofit organization is not liable for any injury caused by donated food produced pursuant to the "Colorado Cottage Foods Act", section 25-4-1614, C.R.S., unless the nonprofit organization acted unreasonably.
(3) Any nonprofit organization that receives any donated items of food pursuant to this section shall not sell or offer to sell any such donated items of food. This prohibition shall not affect the transfer of such donated items of gleaned or donated food between nonprofit organizations, without contemplation of remuneration, for ultimate disposition in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(4) Nothing in this section is intended to restrict the authority of any appropriate agency to regulate or ban the use of such donated foods for human consumption.
