About the Lazarus Council
The Lazarus Council is a nonprofit coalition of innovators, legal experts, and food recovery leaders united by a single mission: to get the Lazarus Laws enacted in every country on earth. We exist to remove the legal and logistical barriers that stop safe, surplus food from reaching the hungry — and to turn proven local success stories into a global movement for policy reform.
The Lazarus Council exists to remove the barriers that prevent safe, surplus food from reaching those in need
Our mission is simple yet urgent: to reduce the amount of edible food that goes to waste even while people nearby – and across borders – go hungry. We work to reform outdated policies, connect donors with governments and charities, and unlock global pipelines of surplus food to feed communities in need.
We envision a future where hunger is not caused by scarcity, but solved through cooperation and common-sense laws
By enacting the Lazarus Laws worldwide, nations can unite under a shared standard that removes liability risks, empowers food donors, simplifies distribution, and makes food security a permanent reality.
We believe that
Hunger is a solvable problem when legal and logistical barriers are removed.
Every country can play a role by enacting Lazarus Laws as a global standard.
Collaboration between governments, nonprofits, and businesses is essential.
Food security strengthens not only health and well-being, but also global stability and peace.
Billions of pounds of food are discarded each year while millions go hungry
The Lazarus Council’s role is to change the laws that allow that to happen — permanently. Founded by John Cacciutti, a designer and entrepreneur known for creating systems that serve people, and Steve Dietz, the founder of Food Donation Connection — an organization that has rescued over 1 billion pounds of surplus food for more than 10,000 charities worldwide.
Their shared realization was simple: Hunger is not caused by scarcity but by policy failure. The Lazarus Council exists to fix that — by promoting the global adoption of the Lazarus Laws, which remove fees, delays, liability fears, and labeling barriers that keep good food from being shared.
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A designer and entrepreneur dedicated to solving problems through practical systems and legislative action. John leads the Council’s international mission to establish the Lazarus Laws as global policy standards.
John Cacciutti
Founder & Chairman
Founder & President of Food Donation Connection, Steve pioneered the modern logistics systems that make large-scale food donation safe, efficient, and reliable. His decades of work prove that once barriers are removed, generosity can thrive.
Steve Dietz
Founding Partner
Tax-exempt status: Lazarus Council is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 93-2091697)
Partners
Programs like Food Donation Connection demonstrate the scale unlocked when barriers are removed—redirecting hundreds of millions of meals from landfill to families.
Take the Lazarus Pledge
“We support the enactment of Lazarus Laws in our country to remove barriers to food donation and end preventable hunger.”
