Food Recovery Network, Inc. Media Release
Food Recovery Network, Inc. (FRN), a leading non-profit organization dedicated to combating hunger and food waste, has filed a lawsuit against FoodRecovery.org (formerly known as MEANS Database) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for trademark infringement. We have taken this action after careful consideration and as a last resort to address confusion caused by another organization dedicated to fighting hunger deciding to rebrand and adopt a nearly identical name to FRN, which has impacted FRN’s operations and threatened to derail FRN’s mission.
For over a decade, FRN has served communities across the United States in the fight against hunger and waste. Those same communities have grown to know and trust the FRN brand, the values FRN represents, and the good FRN can do.
FRN recognizes and welcomes others’ participation in the fight against hunger. The more who engage with this mission, the better. Solving hunger takes a proverbial village, and more.
Unfortunately, FoodRecovery.org recently decided to adopt a nearly identical name and branding effort to FRN, and this has resulted in confusion between FRN and FoodRecovery.org. In ongoing outreach as well as its lawsuit, FRN has requested that FoodRecovery.org adopt a new name so that the organizations can focus on the monumental task of fighting hunger, but FoodRecovery.org has retained its current, confusing branding. By filing this lawsuit, FRN aims to protect its partners, volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders from potential confusion and to ensure the integrity of FRN’s brand.
While FRN intends to litigate this matter, fighting hunger and eliminating waste remains FRN’s top priority. FRN’s primary focus is unchanged: recover surplus food and provide it to people in need. We are dedicated to minimizing the impact of this legal matter on our operations and will continue to work tirelessly to support communities across the nation.
We appreciate the ongoing support of our partners, volunteers, donors, and the public as we navigate this challenging situation. We remain hopeful for a resolution that will enhance FRN’s and FoodRecovery.org’s abilities to fight hunger.
About Food Recovery Network, Inc.
Food Recovery Network, Inc. (FRN) is the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food and ending hunger in the U.S. We unite 8,000+ college students, food suppliers, farmers, and local businesses across the U.S. in the fight against climate change and hunger by recovering surplus food from across the supply chain and donating it to local nonprofit organizations that feed people experiencing hunger.