Houston Food Bank tosses almost $3 million in fresh food after ammonia leak

Posted By: Staff
November 20, 2019 @ 4:22 pm
ABC National

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iStock(HOUSTON) — Houston Food Bank is seeking volunteers to help with donations after it was forced to throw away nearly 2 million pounds of fresh food worth almost $3 million.

An ammonia leak Tuesday night happened after one of the fans used to cool a refrigerated area “caved into the actual unit,” Brian Greene, president of Houston Food Bank, told ABC Houston station KTRK-TV.

The food that was tossed was worth an estimated $2.7 million, Greene said. Fresh produce that was en route to the warehouse is being stored in refrigerated trucks as repairs continue inside the facility.

Video taken inside part of the facility’s 28,000 square feet of refrigerated space shows aisles and aisles ceiling-high shelves completely bare.

Greene said volunteers are needed urgently so the organization can continue to accept donations from “all over the country.”

The food bank operates 24 hours a day and serves about 1.1 million people who are struggling with food insecurity, he said.