The Attorney General’s Office directed $400,000 in settlement funds to the Department of Human Services to be used for food storage improvements at Colorado food banks.

Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Thursday that the office will be taking the money from a recent settlement with Dollar General.

The settlement occurred in October, with investigators finding that the company, which has over 70 locations in Colorado, charged consumers more for products at the register than prices listed on shelves. Investigators conducted 18 inspections in 2024-2025 and the company failed 12 times, the office said.

The funds will be used to help fund long-term improvements in refrigeration and food storage, and support volunteer networks across a statewide system of food banks and pantries, according to a news release.

“During my visits to food banks and pantries, I’ve heard about one issue that doesn’t get enough attention, and that is keeping food fresh for those served,” Weiser said in the release. “Today’s investment will expand refrigeration, storage, and volunteer support at food banks and pantries across Colorado, helping to keep fresh, nutritious food from going to waste and ensuring it reaches those who need it most.”

It’s not clear how soon the money would get to food banks and how quickly can procure or upgrade their food refrigeration equipment.

The moves follow the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, amid the now-37-day federal shutdown.

Meanwhile, a panel of Colorado legislators approved a $10 million cash infusion into food assistance for residents on Oct. 30, but state policymakers raised concerns about how the food benefits would actually reach residents without a sufficient tool to supplement the SNAP program.

The $10 million in state funding requested by Gov. Jared Polis will go to the state’s Community Food Assistance Providers Grant Program, which is administered by the state Department of Human Services.

“This solution is riddled with holes,” Tom Dermody, a member of the Joint Budget Committee staff, told lawmakers. In effect, he said, the state is trying “to plow a field with a fork, and the scale of this particular emergency vastly outstrips any ability of the state to mitigate it in a meaningful way.”

Colorado Politics reporter Marianne Goodland contributed to this report.