(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any person, including but not limited to a seller, farmer, processor, distributor, wholesaler or retailer of food, who donates an item of food for use or distribution by a nonprofit organization, nonprofit corporation, political subdivision of the state or senior center, and any nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation that collects donated food and distributes such food to other nonprofit organizations or nonprofit corporations or a political subdivision of the state or senior center free of charge or for a nominal fee, shall not be liable for civil damages or criminal penalties resulting from the nature, age, condition or packaging of the food, unless it is established that the donor, at the time of making the donation, or the nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation, at the time of distributing the food, knew or had reasonable grounds to believe that the food was (1) adulterated, as described in § 21a-101, or (2) not fit for human consumption.

(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any food establishment classified as a class 3 or class 4 food establishment pursuant to regulations adopted under § 19a-36h, that donates perishable food for use or distribution by a temporary emergency shelter in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 38a-313b shall not be liable for civil damages or criminal penalties resulting from the nature, age, condition or packaging of the food, unless it is established that the donor, at the time of making the donation, knew or had reasonable grounds to believe that the food was (1) embargoed or ordered destroyed by the Department of Public Health or a local director of health, or an authorized agent thereof, (2) adulterated, as described in § 21a-101, or (3) not fit for human consumption.

(c) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any food relief organization or supermarket that donates any canned food or perishable food shall not be liable for civil damages or criminal penalties resulting from the nature, age, condition or packaging of such canned food or perishable food, unless it is established that such food relief organization or supermarket, at the time such food relief organization or supermarket donated such canned food or perishable food, knew or had reasonable grounds to believe that such canned food or perishable food was (1) embargoed or ordered destroyed by the Department of Public Health or a local director of health, or an authorized agent thereof, (2) adulterated, as described in § 21a-101, or (3) not fit for human consumption. For the purposes of this subsection, “canned food”, “food relief organization”, “perishable food” and “supermarket” have the same meanings as provided in § 38a-313c.