Can I give zakat as food instead of money?

The majority view: pay from the kind of wealth

The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools teach that zakat is paid from the same type of wealth it's due on: sheep from sheep, grain from grain, money from money. So if your zakat comes from savings, you give cash. The reason is fairness: the person receiving it knows their own needs best, and money lets them pay rent, a bill or a bus fare instead of getting a bag of rice they may not need.

The Hanafi view: value is what counts

The Hanafi school allows paying the value of zakat in another form, including food, clothes or other goods, as long as the full value reaches an eligible person and they own it. Later Hanbali scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah also allowed it when there's a clear benefit to the poor. Supporters point to reports that Mu'adh ibn Jabal accepted clothing in Yemen in place of grain. Many charities today use this view to run food parcels and winter-kit appeals paid from zakat.

It must still reach the right people

Whatever form you use, zakat only counts when it goes to one of the eight groups named in the Quran:

Dropping tins at a general food bank that serves everyone may not meet zakat conditions, so many scholars treat that as sadaqah instead. See Who can receive zakat?

Zakat al-fitr is food

The Prophet ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory as a sa' of dates or barley for every Muslim (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503). Most schools say to give it as food; the Hanafis allow its cash value, which is what most Western mosques collect. See What is zakat al-fitr?