Movie Meal Rescue Program: FoodStream’s Smarter Solution for Film & TV to Reduce Food Waste

In the United States over one third of food produced is lost or wasted. This waste contributes to greenhouse emissions and economic loss. At the same time the demand for food assistance is growing.

At FoodStream we are actively pursuing new ways to limit waste and get food to the organizations that help feed their communities. FoodStream’s Movie Meals initiative partners with studios, caterers, and production teams to safely redirect freshly prepared meals to nearby organizations the same day.

Film and TV productions have large operations, they frequently provide large quantities of catered meals on set to feed their cast and crew. Before the Movie Meals program, at the end of a day on set, if food was not used, there were few systems in place to deal with the surplus food. Often, staff and caterers on location do not have the space or ability to safely store food. This challenge led to an opportunity for a new program. Through FoodStream’s Movie Meals program, studios, production teams and caterers are able to notify the dedicated team at FoodStream how much food they will have available at a particular time and location. The Movie Meals team is then able to coordinate with local community based organizations to arrange for the rescue of surplus food and get it to people in real time.

Since August of this year, FoodStream has been able to rescue over 3,000 lbs of food otherwise destined to be wasted. This has provided over 2,000 meals for people in nearby communities in New York City, Westchester County and Nassau County. FoodStream has partnered with over ten community based organizations in those locations to bring high quality meals to help get food to the people that need it. This has also led to the prevention of over 10,000 lbs of CO₂ emissions caused by wasted food.

In 2026, the FoodStream team is looking to expand the Movie Meals program and partner with more studios, caterers and community based organizations to provide more quality meals to people in local communities.

👉 Bring Movie Meals to Your Production

Partner with FoodStream to safely redirect surplus meals from set to local organizations, same day, zero hassle. If you are interested in learning more about the Movie Meals program or any other food donation initiative, reach out to the FoodStream team for more information.