The objective of this study was to develop a food package that could serve as a benchmark for designing balanced food packages and for evaluating the nutritional balance of existing donations. Since weight is the only information about food that is readily available to volunteers and staff working in food assistance programs, the weight percentages of food groups and subgroups in the reference package form the basis for the criteria used to assemble an adequate package. The reference package aligns with the PNNS dietary guidelines while being tailored to food assistance, as it prioritizes foods of high nutritional quality that people in precarious situations struggle to obtain. Compared to the reference package, the food baskets and packages distributed by food aid organizations in France are severely lacking in fruits and vegetables (10% of the total weight of the packages instead of the recommended 33%) and contain too many sweet or salty products (9% vs. 2%) and too many starchy foods, particularly refined ones (40% vs. 15%). This study shows that it is necessary to improve the nutritional quality of food donations in France, and suggests that simply disseminating recommendations based on food weight could contribute to this.