Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.115 — MO Code / Chapter 537 / Section 537.115
537.115 Food donation or distribution, limited liability, when.
Status: in_force

537.115. Food donation or distribution, limited liability, when. — 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean:

(1) "Canned food" , any food commercially processed and prepared for human consumption;

(2) "Perishable food" , any food which may spoil or otherwise become unfit for human consumption because of its nature, type or physical condition. This term includes, but is not limited to, fresh and processed meats, poultry, seafood, dairy products, bakery products, eggs in the shell, fresh fruits and vegetables, and foods which have been packaged, refrigerated, or frozen;

(3) "Shelf stable" , any food that can be safely stored in a sealed package at room or ambient temperature for a usefully long shelf life. The term includes foods that would normally be stored refrigerated, but that have been processed or treated by heat or dried to destroy food-borne microorganisms that can cause illness or spoil food.

2. All other provisions of law notwithstanding, a good faith donor of canned, perishable, or shelf stable food, which complies with chapter 196 at the time it was donated and which is fit for human consumption at the time it is donated, to a bona fide charitable or not-for-profit organization for free distribution, shall not be subject to criminal or civil liability arising from an injury or death due to the condition of such food unless such injury or death is a direct result of the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of such donor.

3. All other provisions of law notwithstanding, a bona fide charitable or not-for-profit organization which in good faith receives and distributes food, which complies with chapter 196 at the time it was donated and which is fit for human consumption at the time it is distributed, without charge, shall not be subject to criminal or civil liability arising from an injury or death due to the condition of such food unless such injury or death is a direct result of the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of such organization.

4. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a good faith donor or a charitable or not-for-profit organization, who in good faith receives or distributes frozen or shelf stable packaged venison without charge, shall not be subject to criminal or civil liability arising from an injury or death due to the condition of such food, except as provided in this subsection.

(2) The venison must:

(a) Come from a whitetail deer harvested in accordance with the rules and regulations of the department of conservation;

(b) Be field dressed and handled in a sanitary manner and the carcass of which remains in sound condition;

(c) Be processed in a licensed facility that is subject to the United States Department of Agriculture's mandated inspections during domesticated animal operations or is approved by the Missouri department of agriculture meat inspection program.

(3) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply if the injury or death is a direct result of the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of such donor or the deer was harvested during a season that the deer in Missouri were found to have diseases communicable to humans. Venison handled and processed in accordance with the provisions of this section and protected by all reasonable means from foreign or injurious contamination is exempt from the provisions of chapter 196 .

5. The provisions of this section shall govern all good faith donations of canned, perishable, or shelf stable food which is not readily marketable due to appearance, freshness, grade, surplus, or other conditions, but nothing in this section shall restrict the authority of any appropriate agency to regulate or ban the use of such food for human consumption.

(L. 1981 H.B. 113 § 1, A.L. 1993 H.B. 306, A.L. 1996 H.B. 1610, A.L. 2004 H.B. 1192 merged with S.B. 740, et al., A.L. 2020 H.B. 1711)