Never Pay For Food Again In NYC
March 25, 2016 6:38 PM Subscribe
In 2010, U.S. supermarkets and grocery stores threw out 43 billion pounds, or $46.7 billion worth, of food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"Comedian and filmmaker Jeff Seal spent four nights digging through trash bags outside NYC establishments and documented the process for this video. He says, 'I actually got a ton more food than what is in the final video—I had to cut out a lot because it was getting boring and repetitive watching me endlessly pull different types of perfectly good food out of the garbage.'"
"Comedian and filmmaker Jeff Seal spent four nights digging through trash bags outside NYC establishments and documented the process for this video. He says, 'I actually got a ton more food than what is in the final video—I had to cut out a lot because it was getting boring and repetitive watching me endlessly pull different types of perfectly good food out of the garbage.'"
This is the uncomfortable point where I realize that I have no interest in doing this not because it's gross, but because I value my time too much and would rather just trade half an hour or so of labour per day in exchange for the convenience of the grocery store.
posted by 256 at 6:55 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by 256 at 6:55 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
Why does Whole Foods compact their trash? Is it so no one can sort through it before the garbage men come?
posted by Kevin Street at 7:04 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Kevin Street at 7:04 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
So you'd be more okay with dumpster diving as a service? Just pull open your Dumpr app, let them know how many bags of food you'd like, and they'll show up at your door with the goods?
I lived in a hippie-house during college and remember being the beneficiary of other people's night time efforts. Would be great if they didn't padlock the dumpsters...
posted by mikhuang at 7:05 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
I lived in a hippie-house during college and remember being the beneficiary of other people's night time efforts. Would be great if they didn't padlock the dumpsters...
posted by mikhuang at 7:05 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
Kudos to this guy, he makes it look easy. But I can't help thinking if he wasn't white and reasonably presentable that he would have likely run into trouble.
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:11 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:11 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
Before I escaped grocery I worked at a smaller local chain that is now part of a larger multistate chain; the branch we worked at built themselves a new space triple the size of the old as what in retrospect seems to have been part of the pre-sale expansion. The trash setup went from something where the deli would *package soup* and leave it on the top of the lid (along with the night's bread) for people to take to a squat building made of cinderblock that was smooth-walled and enormously tall to discourage climbing (may have been wire at the top too?) and padlocked all the time.
The official line was that it was a liability issue; I presume it's the same official line for compacting food (so no one can hurt/sicken themselves either on the premises or the food, or collect it and attempt to resell it?)
The new bunker in the parking lot sucked for the people, locals or not, that used to get soup though.
posted by Earthtopus at 7:15 PM on March 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
The official line was that it was a liability issue; I presume it's the same official line for compacting food (so no one can hurt/sicken themselves either on the premises or the food, or collect it and attempt to resell it?)
The new bunker in the parking lot sucked for the people, locals or not, that used to get soup though.
posted by Earthtopus at 7:15 PM on March 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
I have no interest in doing this not because it's gross, but because I value my time too much and would rather just trade half an hour or so of labour
Are you sure it's you that values your time that much? Sounds as if it's the market economy that's doing that. Although if you're approaching it as an ethical obligation, I can understand the regret behind that. It almost makes my moral conscience glad that I'm 100% certain that my reason for not doing it is because I'm incredibly grossed out by it.
posted by ambrosen at 7:16 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Are you sure it's you that values your time that much? Sounds as if it's the market economy that's doing that. Although if you're approaching it as an ethical obligation, I can understand the regret behind that. It almost makes my moral conscience glad that I'm 100% certain that my reason for not doing it is because I'm incredibly grossed out by it.
posted by ambrosen at 7:16 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Why does Whole Foods compact their trash? Is it so no one can sort through it before the garbage men come?
Most big grocery stores and chains do this now.
I remember when I was a very young wannabe street punk or whatever and watching this sea change happen all around me as grocery stores starting switching to compactors.
The food we used to dumpster dive used to not only feed us, but it would make stone soup style potlucks happen where we were able to feed dozens of people too disadvantaged to feed themselves, or just lonely enough to want company with hot meal.
This was way before cell phones, but I remember the first time I saw this I was astonished by the dozens and dozens of poor (and usually much older) people who came out of the woodwork for nearly a mile around the park all by word of mouth and foot, and this wasn't really a very poor part of the world in Southern California, nor were things nearly as economically challenging as they are now.
We waste far, far too much food in this country. It's appalling.
posted by loquacious at 7:27 PM on March 25, 2016 [26 favorites]
Most big grocery stores and chains do this now.
I remember when I was a very young wannabe street punk or whatever and watching this sea change happen all around me as grocery stores starting switching to compactors.
The food we used to dumpster dive used to not only feed us, but it would make stone soup style potlucks happen where we were able to feed dozens of people too disadvantaged to feed themselves, or just lonely enough to want company with hot meal.
This was way before cell phones, but I remember the first time I saw this I was astonished by the dozens and dozens of poor (and usually much older) people who came out of the woodwork for nearly a mile around the park all by word of mouth and foot, and this wasn't really a very poor part of the world in Southern California, nor were things nearly as economically challenging as they are now.
We waste far, far too much food in this country. It's appalling.
posted by loquacious at 7:27 PM on March 25, 2016 [26 favorites]
I can't recall the source but I believe I read that 50% of "human-grade" food in North America is wasted at some point, whether it's imperfect veggies being tossed, or discarded leftovers from oversized restaurant portions.
At least, this makes me less concerned that there's a looming food shortage.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:37 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
At least, this makes me less concerned that there's a looming food shortage.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:37 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
To be fair a decent amount of the food Americans do manage to eat is also wasted.
posted by srboisvert at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [12 favorites]
There's a lot a fair bit of stuff thrown away before it even reaches the supermarkets - I've seen estimates of about 25% of all fresh food produced is scrapped right at the farm because the supermarkets won't buy them.
From having worked in a supermarket it seems like a lose-lose scenario - if they buy imperfect looking produce, it just sits in the bin and then eventually gets thrown out before it rots, because consumers, given free choice, will of course pick the perfect looking ones and avoid the wrinkly, weird shaped produce with scuffs / bruises / insect holes. Since it gets thrown out anyway, and they've spent all that money transporting, handling and refrigerating it for nothing, so it's more efficient scrapping it at the farm there and then. Unless we do something draconion like, if a customer wants a tomato, the supermarket dispenses them a random tomato and they don't get a choice even if they don't like it because it looks bruised or a weird color or has insect marks.
A supermarket chain here has started a mini campaign selling misshapen produce under the "odd bunch" banner with a bunch of kooky names - like Abnormal Apples, Crazy Carrots, Peculiar Pears. It's a roughly 33% discount over their more perfect looking produce. But their cost is so trivial, for me, like, I might buy a kilogram of carrots for $1.80, and the misshapen ones for $1.20, seriously, how many carrots can I eat (that would be like a carrot a day for a week) just to save 60 cents. How much profit does the supermarket make on $1.20 per kilo of carrots? I can certainly see why the extra shelf space and labour and packaging and work to maintain a second line product may never be economically viable - this is just virtuous / socially responsible brand building.
Food cost is so cheap that I don't think it's a huge concern. I mean think about how much fuel (petrol) we waste every day - due to traffic congestion, inefficient old vehicles, impractically long commutes when people should ideally work within 1-5km of their home, etc. We're burning through at least 50% more fuel than we have to, if not 100% more, adding to billions of dollars of waste and trillions of dollars of environmental costs.
posted by xdvesper at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [11 favorites]
From having worked in a supermarket it seems like a lose-lose scenario - if they buy imperfect looking produce, it just sits in the bin and then eventually gets thrown out before it rots, because consumers, given free choice, will of course pick the perfect looking ones and avoid the wrinkly, weird shaped produce with scuffs / bruises / insect holes. Since it gets thrown out anyway, and they've spent all that money transporting, handling and refrigerating it for nothing, so it's more efficient scrapping it at the farm there and then. Unless we do something draconion like, if a customer wants a tomato, the supermarket dispenses them a random tomato and they don't get a choice even if they don't like it because it looks bruised or a weird color or has insect marks.
A supermarket chain here has started a mini campaign selling misshapen produce under the "odd bunch" banner with a bunch of kooky names - like Abnormal Apples, Crazy Carrots, Peculiar Pears. It's a roughly 33% discount over their more perfect looking produce. But their cost is so trivial, for me, like, I might buy a kilogram of carrots for $1.80, and the misshapen ones for $1.20, seriously, how many carrots can I eat (that would be like a carrot a day for a week) just to save 60 cents. How much profit does the supermarket make on $1.20 per kilo of carrots? I can certainly see why the extra shelf space and labour and packaging and work to maintain a second line product may never be economically viable - this is just virtuous / socially responsible brand building.
Food cost is so cheap that I don't think it's a huge concern. I mean think about how much fuel (petrol) we waste every day - due to traffic congestion, inefficient old vehicles, impractically long commutes when people should ideally work within 1-5km of their home, etc. We're burning through at least 50% more fuel than we have to, if not 100% more, adding to billions of dollars of waste and trillions of dollars of environmental costs.
posted by xdvesper at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [11 favorites]
WeFood, which opened in Copenhagen this week, stocks only food that is past its official expiration date or unworthy of other supermarket shelves because of aesthetic imperfections and damaged packaging.
posted by mama casserole at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by mama casserole at 7:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [8 favorites]
Just pull open your Dumpr app
That sounds like an app that tells you where nearby to find a decent place to poop in the city.
.2 miles ahead, Starbucks inside Chase Tower, door code 3456.
Dumpr Special Offer: 10% Off Metamucil MultiHealth Fiber & Cottonelle Flushable Wipes
posted by leotrotsky at 8:05 PM on March 25, 2016 [16 favorites]
That sounds like an app that tells you where nearby to find a decent place to poop in the city.
.2 miles ahead, Starbucks inside Chase Tower, door code 3456.
Dumpr Special Offer: 10% Off Metamucil MultiHealth Fiber & Cottonelle Flushable Wipes
posted by leotrotsky at 8:05 PM on March 25, 2016 [16 favorites]
The solution of course is to ship all of that discarded bounty to pig farms. Then Whole Foods can sell pork chops from pigs raised on Swiss chard and kale chips. Every being wins!
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:14 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:14 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
So , I know many so called socialist or communist countries had a huge problem with distribution, empty stores and everything -- but we have a capitalistic distribution system, and grocery stores have like , the smallest possible profit margins? No one is getting rich selling foodstuff, at least not below the corporate owner level ... So why not nationalize it? Remove the profit motive? Just make sure you move the most amount of grains, meat and fresh produce into the neighborhood as possible? Processed foods can command a premium, but isn't it better to give away vegetables and potatoes then to let them rot? It doesn't make sense, food is one of the few industries that can really take to economies of scale, there's no reason anyone should have to pay for soup or bread. It's insane.
posted by The Whelk at 8:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [20 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [20 favorites]
I worked "university food service" for a quarter at UC Santa Cruz. "Steak night" meant many dozens of untouched pristine steaks coming down the dish line. Sometimes I'd pick one up and gnaw on it a bit.
posted by telstar at 9:02 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by telstar at 9:02 PM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
I remember when I was a very young wannabe street punk or whatever and watching this sea change happen all around me as grocery stores starting switching to compactors.
The food we used to dumpster dive used to not only feed us, but it would make stone soup style potlucks happen where we were able to feed dozens of people too disadvantaged to feed themselves, or just lonely enough to want company with hot meal.
I helped with some Food Not Bombs things when I was probably about the same age, and was also struck by how appreciative people were for what was really poorly cooked food from scavenged ingredients, served with no permits or hygiene by a bunch of dirty teenagers. I wasn't involved for long but have always remembered that.
Food is incredibly cheap from a historical perspective, so restaurants and stores can casually waste tons, but because of inequality and maldistribution of resources millions of people can't afford it. It's a nonsensical situation.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [14 favorites]
The food we used to dumpster dive used to not only feed us, but it would make stone soup style potlucks happen where we were able to feed dozens of people too disadvantaged to feed themselves, or just lonely enough to want company with hot meal.
I helped with some Food Not Bombs things when I was probably about the same age, and was also struck by how appreciative people were for what was really poorly cooked food from scavenged ingredients, served with no permits or hygiene by a bunch of dirty teenagers. I wasn't involved for long but have always remembered that.
Food is incredibly cheap from a historical perspective, so restaurants and stores can casually waste tons, but because of inequality and maldistribution of resources millions of people can't afford it. It's a nonsensical situation.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [14 favorites]
(I mean realistically I'd say, yes totally free prepared food as well because of the werid nature of food prep and science and like, frankly it might be easier to have distributed central kitchens but that's otherwise)
(Seriously the deli or carvery or soup kitchen or rotisserie is something like,,, every civilization has come up with and maybe we should just make thise free or freeish? )
posted by The Whelk at 9:26 PM on March 25, 2016
(Seriously the deli or carvery or soup kitchen or rotisserie is something like,,, every civilization has come up with and maybe we should just make thise free or freeish? )
posted by The Whelk at 9:26 PM on March 25, 2016
Hey, I just gave a talk about this last weekend! Here are some fun facts about food waste:
* The US throws out 40% of its food, humanity as a whole about 1/3rd.*
* About 795 million people worldwide are undernourished.*
* 45% of all deaths of children under five are due to undernourishment. That's over 3 million children.*
* Over 80% of water in the US goes to producing food. Good thing we're not having any water shortages!*
* Food waste takes up 20% of landfills. Did you know that when food degrades without access to oxygen - like, say, when it's in a giant landfill - it releases methane?*
* If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China.*
Some companies cite liability or "health and safety" as the reason they don't donate their food but in the US that is basically bullshit. In 1996 we passed the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act which holds you blameless for harms caused by food donations made in good faith. And some states have gone further. Here in Massachusetts, we've actually started to mandate food recycling and donation for larger organizations. All is not hopeless - there are changes we can make and have made. Or rather: this system is badly broken, but there are things we can do to fix it.
posted by galaxy rise at 9:33 PM on March 25, 2016 [75 favorites]
* The US throws out 40% of its food, humanity as a whole about 1/3rd.*
* About 795 million people worldwide are undernourished.*
* 45% of all deaths of children under five are due to undernourishment. That's over 3 million children.*
* Over 80% of water in the US goes to producing food. Good thing we're not having any water shortages!*
* Food waste takes up 20% of landfills. Did you know that when food degrades without access to oxygen - like, say, when it's in a giant landfill - it releases methane?*
* If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China.*
Some companies cite liability or "health and safety" as the reason they don't donate their food but in the US that is basically bullshit. In 1996 we passed the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act which holds you blameless for harms caused by food donations made in good faith. And some states have gone further. Here in Massachusetts, we've actually started to mandate food recycling and donation for larger organizations. All is not hopeless - there are changes we can make and have made. Or rather: this system is badly broken, but there are things we can do to fix it.
posted by galaxy rise at 9:33 PM on March 25, 2016 [75 favorites]
Also if you prefer to learn about food waste through dark humor John Oliver did a very good piece on it.
posted by galaxy rise at 9:35 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by galaxy rise at 9:35 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
leotrotsky, if that app doesn't exist it really should.
Also, where's your eponysterical commentary about feeding the masses?
posted by a halcyon day at 9:36 PM on March 25, 2016
Also, where's your eponysterical commentary about feeding the masses?
posted by a halcyon day at 9:36 PM on March 25, 2016
For a second I got really worried about the conversion rate from GBP to USD.
posted by ACair at 9:52 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ACair at 9:52 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
It sounds to me like the system is far from broken. A system where all food was consumed, with no surplus, seems more like a terrifyingly broken one. How could such a state be accomplished without without constantly being on the verge of famine, not just for the undernourished ~9-10% of the worlds population, but for the rest, too. I'm not sure that kind of equality is really a benefit to humanity.
As far as dumpster diving, yeah, I'd rather not procure food by method in which gloves are recommended.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:03 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
As far as dumpster diving, yeah, I'd rather not procure food by method in which gloves are recommended.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:03 PM on March 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
It sounds to me like the system is far from broken. A system where all food was consumed, with no surplus, seems more like a terrifyingly broken one.
For the record, I have no problem with the existence of surplus food per se. It's the deaths of 3 million children a year from undernourishment that makes me call the system broken, along with the huge amounts of greenhouse gases generated and the water waste in drought-stricken areas.
posted by galaxy rise at 10:08 PM on March 25, 2016 [11 favorites]
For the record, I have no problem with the existence of surplus food per se. It's the deaths of 3 million children a year from undernourishment that makes me call the system broken, along with the huge amounts of greenhouse gases generated and the water waste in drought-stricken areas.
posted by galaxy rise at 10:08 PM on March 25, 2016 [11 favorites]
Starbucks is trying to donate "expired" food that would otherwise be wasted.
posted by Violet Hour at 10:31 PM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Violet Hour at 10:31 PM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
It's the deaths of 3 million children a year from undernourishment that makes me call the system broken, along with the huge amounts of greenhouse gases generated and the water waste in drought-stricken areas.
I have a feeling the deaths of 3 million children would not likely be significantly solved by the world's food system. Children don't usually starve because we throw away so much food. They're dying because there's no viable way to get any food to them, let alone surplus food. This is typically a political problem. Not a food problem.
Water usage in drought stricken areas seems mitigated to me by the production of food. Yeah, it sucks I can't afford a luxurious green lawn here in Southern California because those wicked farmers are hogging all the water. Woe is me.
Similarly, greenhouse gases, as the result of food production, is probably the last source that we, as a species, would really like to fix.
Again, it doesn't look like it's the food system that's broken.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:40 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
I have a feeling the deaths of 3 million children would not likely be significantly solved by the world's food system. Children don't usually starve because we throw away so much food. They're dying because there's no viable way to get any food to them, let alone surplus food. This is typically a political problem. Not a food problem.
Water usage in drought stricken areas seems mitigated to me by the production of food. Yeah, it sucks I can't afford a luxurious green lawn here in Southern California because those wicked farmers are hogging all the water. Woe is me.
Similarly, greenhouse gases, as the result of food production, is probably the last source that we, as a species, would really like to fix.
Again, it doesn't look like it's the food system that's broken.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:40 PM on March 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
They need to make it more expensive to trash food than to give it away. Companies are all about their bottom line.
posted by Hazelsmrf at 10:54 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Hazelsmrf at 10:54 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
Am surprised noone's mentioned Tesco's or France, so here I am....
posted by pompomtom at 10:56 PM on March 25, 2016
posted by pompomtom at 10:56 PM on March 25, 2016
A supermarket chain here has started a mini campaign selling misshapen produce under the "odd bunch" banner with a bunch of kooky names - like Abnormal Apples, Crazy Carrots, Peculiar Pears. It's a roughly 33% discount over their more perfect looking produce. But their cost is so trivial, for me
I am fairly well off but I was excited by this and switched to buying almost 100% of my produce as odd bunch items. I get to feel better about less food being wasted and it's like a 30-50% discount on my fresh produce. Win!
posted by lollusc at 10:59 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
I am fairly well off but I was excited by this and switched to buying almost 100% of my produce as odd bunch items. I get to feel better about less food being wasted and it's like a 30-50% discount on my fresh produce. Win!
posted by lollusc at 10:59 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
Why does Whole Foods compact their trash? Is it so no one can sort through it before the garbage men come?
Not sure about in NY,but it's certainly not a global policy. The ones near me (NorCal) reuse what they can and donate a lot to charity. Haven't seen compacting at all.
*Full disclosure: I work for whole Foods Market, but I'm not paid to respond to social media in any way.
posted by greermahoney at 11:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not sure about in NY,but it's certainly not a global policy. The ones near me (NorCal) reuse what they can and donate a lot to charity. Haven't seen compacting at all.
*Full disclosure: I work for whole Foods Market, but I'm not paid to respond to social media in any way.
posted by greermahoney at 11:26 PM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Surprised no one's mentioned Lars Eighner's classic On Dumpster Diving (only link I could find).
posted by praemunire at 11:41 PM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 11:41 PM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
In addition to galaxy rise's comment about water use and food production, "Over 80% of water in the US goes to producing food", there are some farmers who are planting crops which use greater amounts of water in areas with limited water (ie, planting pistachios in areas that areas with water drought in California) to benefit from the vastly increased profits in this scenario.
From both a Planet Money and NPR story on the topic,
...Pistachios, almonds and walnuts need a ton of water. They are some of the thirstiest crops around. Growing nut trees in a drought is harder, and that has helped push the price of nuts way up. So now farmers all over California's Central Valley are ...ripping out their other crops and planting nut trees. ...Ten times more profitable than other crops.
How profitable is it? ...Hedge funds and big banks have started buying California farmland and planting almond and pistachio trees....
Good times.
posted by Wolfster at 11:48 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
From both a Planet Money and NPR story on the topic,
...Pistachios, almonds and walnuts need a ton of water. They are some of the thirstiest crops around. Growing nut trees in a drought is harder, and that has helped push the price of nuts way up. So now farmers all over California's Central Valley are ...ripping out their other crops and planting nut trees. ...Ten times more profitable than other crops.
How profitable is it? ...Hedge funds and big banks have started buying California farmland and planting almond and pistachio trees....
Good times.
posted by Wolfster at 11:48 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
because consumers, given free choice, will of course pick the perfect looking ones and avoid the wrinkly, weird shaped produce with scuffs / bruises / insect holes
So, from my very limited experience of US supermarkets - you guys do know your produce is ridiculously huge, uncannily homogeneous and glistening with perfection, right? It's probably some Darwinian free-market vegetable arms race that got you there, but it was one of the things that really struck me as a foreigner. People pick the nicer tomatoes (or riper/greener, depending on preference) out of the bin over here too, but the bin doesn't look like a demonstration of hexagonal close packing to begin with.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:10 AM on March 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
So, from my very limited experience of US supermarkets - you guys do know your produce is ridiculously huge, uncannily homogeneous and glistening with perfection, right? It's probably some Darwinian free-market vegetable arms race that got you there, but it was one of the things that really struck me as a foreigner. People pick the nicer tomatoes (or riper/greener, depending on preference) out of the bin over here too, but the bin doesn't look like a demonstration of hexagonal close packing to begin with.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:10 AM on March 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
The solution of course is to ship all of that discarded bounty to pig farms
That's exactly what we did in the bakery where I worked during college. Once it was too old for the day-old rack, we chucked it into black bags and the farmer came to pick them up at the back door every day or so
I used to get a kick out of picturing the pigs eating decorated cakes and thinking it was their birthday all the time.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:12 AM on March 26, 2016 [29 favorites]
That's exactly what we did in the bakery where I worked during college. Once it was too old for the day-old rack, we chucked it into black bags and the farmer came to pick them up at the back door every day or so
I used to get a kick out of picturing the pigs eating decorated cakes and thinking it was their birthday all the time.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:12 AM on March 26, 2016 [29 favorites]
Food waste is just so wrong - specially when you are seeing homeless and poor people who don't get enough to eat, or only bad processed food every day. I live in an area with many homeless, and I think many of the local stores donate to shelters. Also, my COOP has a shelf called "save the food" where you can buy foods approaching sell by dates at huge discounts. I see a lot of people going there as their first priority.
However, I always buy too much and cook too much. I worry that someone in my family will go hungry. I was hungry as a child and it was not a good thing. I try to plan with leftovers and compost what can be composted, but I feel I waste too much because of my compulsive and groundless fear of hunger. Even when I went through a period of real poverty because of debt and lack of work, I still managed to somehow hoard tons of produce, so it has nothing to do with income.
posted by mumimor at 2:13 AM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
However, I always buy too much and cook too much. I worry that someone in my family will go hungry. I was hungry as a child and it was not a good thing. I try to plan with leftovers and compost what can be composted, but I feel I waste too much because of my compulsive and groundless fear of hunger. Even when I went through a period of real poverty because of debt and lack of work, I still managed to somehow hoard tons of produce, so it has nothing to do with income.
posted by mumimor at 2:13 AM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
Photographer styles discarded food to make it look like 17th-century paintings.
posted by Violet Hour at 3:09 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by Violet Hour at 3:09 AM on March 26, 2016
I'm surprised that grocery stores aren't more involved with local food banks. Around here, I've looked through the local food bank's annual report, and the largest corporate donations are donations in-kind from national supermarket chains and the huge local pork processor.
posted by indubitable at 5:10 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by indubitable at 5:10 AM on March 26, 2016
So, from my very limited experience of US supermarkets - you guys do know your produce is ridiculously huge, uncannily homogeneous and glistening with perfection, right?
I've known it for a long time, in an abstract sense, but I didn't feel it until I started subscribing to a CSA a few years ago. The produce we got wasn't perfect, but we ate it because it was what had arrived in the weekly box. Of course the "imperfect" local and organic stuff turned out to be, in all ways aside from expected appearance, better than what we could've gotten in the store. Now at times of year when the CSA is between seasons, it's the supermarket produce I have to make do with that looks so sad and unappetizing.
posted by jon1270 at 6:17 AM on March 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
I've known it for a long time, in an abstract sense, but I didn't feel it until I started subscribing to a CSA a few years ago. The produce we got wasn't perfect, but we ate it because it was what had arrived in the weekly box. Of course the "imperfect" local and organic stuff turned out to be, in all ways aside from expected appearance, better than what we could've gotten in the store. Now at times of year when the CSA is between seasons, it's the supermarket produce I have to make do with that looks so sad and unappetizing.
posted by jon1270 at 6:17 AM on March 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
A note to people who are grossed out by dumpster diving:
A cognitive shift needs to happen here.
People who scavenge food are not eating garbage.
People who throw away food are misidentifying it as garbage.
Perfectly good food is being put into the wrong place. Some of it is being rescued.
I've eaten a bunch of it myself. It's fine.
posted by crazylegs at 6:53 AM on March 26, 2016 [22 favorites]
A cognitive shift needs to happen here.
People who scavenge food are not eating garbage.
People who throw away food are misidentifying it as garbage.
Perfectly good food is being put into the wrong place. Some of it is being rescued.
I've eaten a bunch of it myself. It's fine.
posted by crazylegs at 6:53 AM on March 26, 2016 [22 favorites]
Starbucks is trying to donate "expired" food that would otherwise be wasted.
That's so cute, because when I worked there ten years ago I used to do this and they frequently threatened to fire me for theft.
posted by milk white peacock at 7:06 AM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
That's so cute, because when I worked there ten years ago I used to do this and they frequently threatened to fire me for theft.
posted by milk white peacock at 7:06 AM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
That's so cute, because when I worked there ten years ago I used to do this and they frequently threatened to fire me for theft.
I worked there before you and it was possible to donate expired food, but you needed to get the store manager on board. There were some hoops to jump through, the expired food had to be marked out on the point of sales terminal in a different way and we couldn't deliver the food, the charity had to come pick it up. We threw out more than half of the "donated" food because of missed pickups. It was a dumb hassle.
Then I moved to a different store and worked for a manager who didn't think it was worth the hassle. So on my closing shifts I would bag everything up and drop it off at a homeless shelter that had a breakfast program. I would have been fired for theft if my manager knew. That was the official policy at the time, it was either outright theft or close enough to encourage it.
posted by peeedro at 7:27 AM on March 26, 2016
I worked there before you and it was possible to donate expired food, but you needed to get the store manager on board. There were some hoops to jump through, the expired food had to be marked out on the point of sales terminal in a different way and we couldn't deliver the food, the charity had to come pick it up. We threw out more than half of the "donated" food because of missed pickups. It was a dumb hassle.
Then I moved to a different store and worked for a manager who didn't think it was worth the hassle. So on my closing shifts I would bag everything up and drop it off at a homeless shelter that had a breakfast program. I would have been fired for theft if my manager knew. That was the official policy at the time, it was either outright theft or close enough to encourage it.
posted by peeedro at 7:27 AM on March 26, 2016
Anyone who tells you it's a liability issue in the US should really stop talking and be educated about the Emerson Food Bill, signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996. When I was in high school I was very involved in an education program-we went to local non-chain stores and restaurants, educating owners about how they could donate, that it was pretty liability free, and hooked them up with distribution networks, including volunteers who would pick up "old" restaurant food from the restaurant and get it to organizations who would feed homeless people, etc.
The issues with donating "old" food are mostly cognitive for stores/restaurants. Or logistical. But they sure ain't liability related.
posted by atomicstone at 7:46 AM on March 26, 2016
The issues with donating "old" food are mostly cognitive for stores/restaurants. Or logistical. But they sure ain't liability related.
posted by atomicstone at 7:46 AM on March 26, 2016
Metfilter: Food cost is so cheap that I don't think it's a huge concern.
posted by sammyo at 7:52 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by sammyo at 7:52 AM on March 26, 2016
It's not just food. When I worked at a shoe store we were told to slice up any discontinued or slightly damaged footwear before we threw it away. Essentially make them unwearable. Wouldn't want the homeless to have decent shoes, would we? I once asked the District manager why. "Those are the rules."
posted by Splunge at 8:30 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by Splunge at 8:30 AM on March 26, 2016
This is typically a political problem. Not a food problem.
I'm curious why you think politics plays no part in the food system, or food in the political system. They're both massively complex systems that intertwine with each other.
Water usage in drought stricken areas seems mitigated to me by the production of food. Yeah, it sucks I can't afford a luxurious green lawn here in Southern California because those wicked farmers are hogging all the water. Woe is me.
Right, but the farmers are using more water than they need to create more food than we need. Water is used to grow food that's plowed under in the fields, or thrown out somewhere along the processor -> retailer -> consumer pipeline. You may be just fine with a brown lawn, but I doubt the problems with droughts will end there. How much inconvenience are you willing to accept before you start advocating to cut waste?
Similarly, greenhouse gases, as the result of food production, is probably the last source that we, as a species, would really like to fix.
The greenhouse gases are released primarily as a result of food waste, not production. If we eat and/or recycle most of our food - say, 95% instead of 60% - we'd cut drastically down on greenhouse gas release. Why wouldn't we want to fix that?
posted by galaxy rise at 8:40 AM on March 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
I'm curious why you think politics plays no part in the food system, or food in the political system. They're both massively complex systems that intertwine with each other.
Water usage in drought stricken areas seems mitigated to me by the production of food. Yeah, it sucks I can't afford a luxurious green lawn here in Southern California because those wicked farmers are hogging all the water. Woe is me.
Right, but the farmers are using more water than they need to create more food than we need. Water is used to grow food that's plowed under in the fields, or thrown out somewhere along the processor -> retailer -> consumer pipeline. You may be just fine with a brown lawn, but I doubt the problems with droughts will end there. How much inconvenience are you willing to accept before you start advocating to cut waste?
Similarly, greenhouse gases, as the result of food production, is probably the last source that we, as a species, would really like to fix.
The greenhouse gases are released primarily as a result of food waste, not production. If we eat and/or recycle most of our food - say, 95% instead of 60% - we'd cut drastically down on greenhouse gas release. Why wouldn't we want to fix that?
posted by galaxy rise at 8:40 AM on March 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
It's not just food. When I worked at a shoe store we were told to slice up any discontinued or slightly damaged footwear before we threw it away. Essentially make them unwearable. Wouldn't want the homeless to have decent shoes, would we? I once asked the District manager why. "Those are the rules."
Was this verified in any way? With unsold paperback books they collect a torn cover as proof of destruction, and it makes some sense - otherwise you'd have dishonest vendors falsely reporting books as destroyed and then turning around and selling them to pocket the full price. I can see a similar anti-fraud reasoning being applied to any kind of durable item, but the point is to be able to somehow audit how many were actually destroyed - otherwise it's useless as a deterrent, and can probably be explained by plain old corporate behemoth idiocy.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:06 AM on March 26, 2016
Was this verified in any way? With unsold paperback books they collect a torn cover as proof of destruction, and it makes some sense - otherwise you'd have dishonest vendors falsely reporting books as destroyed and then turning around and selling them to pocket the full price. I can see a similar anti-fraud reasoning being applied to any kind of durable item, but the point is to be able to somehow audit how many were actually destroyed - otherwise it's useless as a deterrent, and can probably be explained by plain old corporate behemoth idiocy.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:06 AM on March 26, 2016
How would you render a shoe to verify its destination, without destroying its utility?
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:20 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:20 AM on March 26, 2016
Why would they need to verify destruction of anything? Do they have some kind of insurance that pays them for unsold merchandise?
posted by indubitable at 10:05 AM on March 26, 2016
posted by indubitable at 10:05 AM on March 26, 2016
Years ago I heard a cleric discuss his good work of opening a soup kitchen/free food bank in the inner city. It flourished.
He had second thoughts when the fellow who owned the bodega a few blocks over saw a sharp decrease in business, which was something of a burden on him and his family.
I can't recall how the cleric dealt with this unexpected consequence, but, you know, food for thought.
posted by IndigoJones at 10:17 AM on March 26, 2016
He had second thoughts when the fellow who owned the bodega a few blocks over saw a sharp decrease in business, which was something of a burden on him and his family.
I can't recall how the cleric dealt with this unexpected consequence, but, you know, food for thought.
posted by IndigoJones at 10:17 AM on March 26, 2016
The shoes thing makes sense as a business move, and I guess extension of the concept to food doesn't sound ridiculous on it's face. Why would anyone buy shoes at retail price if there were free shoes? Especially if I could force you to give away the shoes for free by refusing to buy them? If you don't destroy the goods, you become your own competition.
People who throw away food are misidentifying it as garbage.
Sure, but it's what happens to it in that gap after "we care about food safety" but before you find it that's the off-putting part. It's like the 3-second rule when you drop something on the floor, except that it's left your sight and been in some considerably nastier places, like greasy dumpsters.
posted by ctmf at 11:14 AM on March 26, 2016
People who throw away food are misidentifying it as garbage.
Sure, but it's what happens to it in that gap after "we care about food safety" but before you find it that's the off-putting part. It's like the 3-second rule when you drop something on the floor, except that it's left your sight and been in some considerably nastier places, like greasy dumpsters.
posted by ctmf at 11:14 AM on March 26, 2016
“The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
posted by domo at 11:23 AM on March 26, 2016 [20 favorites]
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
posted by domo at 11:23 AM on March 26, 2016 [20 favorites]
Dr Dracator: "It's not just food. When I worked at a shoe store we were told to slice up any discontinued or slightly damaged footwear before we threw it away. Essentially make them unwearable. Wouldn't want the homeless to have decent shoes, would we? I once asked the District manager why. "Those are the rules."
Was this verified in any way? With unsold paperback books they collect a torn cover as proof of destruction, and it makes some sense - otherwise you'd have dishonest vendors falsely reporting books as destroyed and then turning around and selling them to pocket the full price. I can see a similar anti-fraud reasoning being applied to any kind of durable item, but the point is to be able to somehow audit how many were actually destroyed - otherwise it's useless as a deterrent, and can probably be explained by plain old corporate behemoth idiocy."
The District manager came by once a month to do just that. He'd log each pair and make sure that we removed the upper from the sole.
posted by Splunge at 11:41 AM on March 26, 2016
Was this verified in any way? With unsold paperback books they collect a torn cover as proof of destruction, and it makes some sense - otherwise you'd have dishonest vendors falsely reporting books as destroyed and then turning around and selling them to pocket the full price. I can see a similar anti-fraud reasoning being applied to any kind of durable item, but the point is to be able to somehow audit how many were actually destroyed - otherwise it's useless as a deterrent, and can probably be explained by plain old corporate behemoth idiocy."
The District manager came by once a month to do just that. He'd log each pair and make sure that we removed the upper from the sole.
posted by Splunge at 11:41 AM on March 26, 2016
Huh. I would not have immediately pegged this as the Thread I Will Have Opinions About Today but here we are!
I love to volunteer at the SF-Marin Food Bank. It's the kind of easy but physical work that I feel keeps me honest, but without the shitty management and soul-sucking despair that comes with working retail. Anyway, most of what volunteers end up doing there (besides bagging donated rice, pasta and other dry goods) is sorting and boxing irregular produce donated, I think, by farms that couldn't sell them to supermarkets. It's so fun! I've done apples, mandarin oranges, carrots... and some other things I can't remember. Pears, maybe. Some of them aren't even irregular, just too large or small. (That's why supermarket produce is "uncannily homogenous.") It's so interesting to see what gets rejected, and it's fun trying to find the largest and smallest mandarin orange, plus all the random lemons that have somehow sneaked into the batch. You sort through these giant boxes that four or five people could sit in comfortably, throw out all the rotten stuff and put the rest into more manageably sized boxes (usually recycled boxes from cases of wine) that will go out to various food pantries and soup kitchens.
I've also volunteered at both the food pantry and the soup kitchen, though both less often than the food bank itself. At the food pantry I have to either be in the back or hand out something uniform like jars of peanut butter because I am a big softy and those ladies will argue with you about whatever you hand them, with a line behind them stretching around the block. "Find the funny produce" is a game here too - I tell the people I hand two-legged carrots to that they're good luck. The people from the food pantry can sometimes be seen afterward selling their items on the street, especially the weird stuff like coconut water that no one wants. I think it was here that I read a very insightful comment that said basically that this is a natural consequence of giving food or things instead of money - people have other needs (medication, etc), so they'll try to convert some of it into money to meet those needs. At the soup kitchen, too, there's some hardcore bartering going on - the Tenderloin dudes trade desserts and put all their fruit off to the side, where it's scooped up by marauding old Asian ladies.
A while back, when I was mostly working on cookbooks (I'm a managing editor), I ended up working on a book about avoiding food waste and using up scraps and odds and ends in the kitchen. It was very much not our usual MO and I got quite frustrated with it because it ended up being a lot of work and no one seemed to think it would sell, even the editor. I haven't followed it closely since publication because I'm working on kids' books now, but a funny thing happened: the sales reps were really excited about it and picked it out as a potential hit, the author went on NPR, and last I heard it was doing pretty well. Something about the topic resonates with people.
Volunteering has become so routine (and largely social) for me that I forget how strongly I feel about feeding people until other people start talking about it.
posted by sunset in snow country at 12:02 PM on March 26, 2016 [9 favorites]
I love to volunteer at the SF-Marin Food Bank. It's the kind of easy but physical work that I feel keeps me honest, but without the shitty management and soul-sucking despair that comes with working retail. Anyway, most of what volunteers end up doing there (besides bagging donated rice, pasta and other dry goods) is sorting and boxing irregular produce donated, I think, by farms that couldn't sell them to supermarkets. It's so fun! I've done apples, mandarin oranges, carrots... and some other things I can't remember. Pears, maybe. Some of them aren't even irregular, just too large or small. (That's why supermarket produce is "uncannily homogenous.") It's so interesting to see what gets rejected, and it's fun trying to find the largest and smallest mandarin orange, plus all the random lemons that have somehow sneaked into the batch. You sort through these giant boxes that four or five people could sit in comfortably, throw out all the rotten stuff and put the rest into more manageably sized boxes (usually recycled boxes from cases of wine) that will go out to various food pantries and soup kitchens.
I've also volunteered at both the food pantry and the soup kitchen, though both less often than the food bank itself. At the food pantry I have to either be in the back or hand out something uniform like jars of peanut butter because I am a big softy and those ladies will argue with you about whatever you hand them, with a line behind them stretching around the block. "Find the funny produce" is a game here too - I tell the people I hand two-legged carrots to that they're good luck. The people from the food pantry can sometimes be seen afterward selling their items on the street, especially the weird stuff like coconut water that no one wants. I think it was here that I read a very insightful comment that said basically that this is a natural consequence of giving food or things instead of money - people have other needs (medication, etc), so they'll try to convert some of it into money to meet those needs. At the soup kitchen, too, there's some hardcore bartering going on - the Tenderloin dudes trade desserts and put all their fruit off to the side, where it's scooped up by marauding old Asian ladies.
A while back, when I was mostly working on cookbooks (I'm a managing editor), I ended up working on a book about avoiding food waste and using up scraps and odds and ends in the kitchen. It was very much not our usual MO and I got quite frustrated with it because it ended up being a lot of work and no one seemed to think it would sell, even the editor. I haven't followed it closely since publication because I'm working on kids' books now, but a funny thing happened: the sales reps were really excited about it and picked it out as a potential hit, the author went on NPR, and last I heard it was doing pretty well. Something about the topic resonates with people.
Volunteering has become so routine (and largely social) for me that I forget how strongly I feel about feeding people until other people start talking about it.
posted by sunset in snow country at 12:02 PM on March 26, 2016 [9 favorites]
To elaborate a bit on the book: it goes into detail about "best-by" dates and what they actually mean (which is mentioned in the video - it has nothing to do with food safety) and gives actual signs to tell when various foods have gone bad (actually, it could be useful in AskMe...), but it also encourages people to buy "funny fruit" and to take the last of something in the grocery store as a way of voting with their dollar. Apparently a lot of waste happens because people won't take stuff that looks like it's been shopped over - they assume it's bad or something, I don't know - so the store keeps the display fully stocked at all times and the excess is almost like psychological padding for people's shopping habits.
posted by sunset in snow country at 12:13 PM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by sunset in snow country at 12:13 PM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm quite surprised at people's anecdotes; I directly manage a food pantry and advise 3 others; and pick up product from 2 Save-A-Lot's and 2 Aldi's every other week for one of them.
The amount and type of product donated to us every time varies greatly from 200-1,000 pounds. Sometimes, it's seasonal non-parishable product that's perfectly good and not expired (this is maybe 10-15% of donated product). The past month or two, we've received canned pumpkin (for pumpkin pie), valentine's candy, Christmas cookies, anything pumpkin-flavored.
Another 30% of the donated product is frozen meat that is passed its best-by date: More 10% of this meat, I have to throw out myself because it's severely freezer burned or the plastic saran wrap around it has a hole in it (food pantries are not allowed to give out food that is partially opened, not sure if this is a state law or a food bank law).
Another 20-30% is non-perishable damaged product that still able to be given out (unopened) from pantries to us. The label may be partially torn off; the can may be dented, or its best by date. Non-parishable food in cardboard is likely crushed. Some other examples of this are crushed valentine's day candy (chocolate bars in 8 pieces), sugar or flour that is covered in plastic wrap because its original bag had a leak. Some of the stuff they give me I can't even give out because its packaging is already opened.
I can understand in many instances why the stores won't want to sell it: they only have maybe 5-6 of these broken items a week: determining how much to charge for a dented can of spaghetti-o's.
Regarding the trash compactors: The stores that I pick up from are lower-end and likely lower volume (in customers), none of them have a trash compactor although all 4 have a compactor exclusively for cardboard. They just throw their stuff in the dumpster.
The local foodbank arranged these partnerships with me and nearly every grocery store in Northeast Ohio has someone (the food bank itself or another pantry) picking up from them.
In addition to my picking up from the stores, the larger food bank picks up donations from the high-volume stores: wal-marts, giant eagles, etc. The product is much the same as I describe above.
If there's this much food being thrown away, ask your food bank if they're picking up from local retailers.... It's a lot of logistical work and if your food bank doesn't have the organizational capacity to arrange pickups from the stores, you have to rely on volunteers to pick up on a regular basis. This is not easy to find such volunteers. One of my pantries that has volunteers that picks up from Trader Joe's EVERY DAY is an exception.
The local retailers in my experience don't mind that much because they use it as a write-off (I assume), it's good PR (we've donated X pounds to the Food Bank and help X in need!), and it lowers their trash costs.
posted by fizzix at 1:31 PM on March 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
The amount and type of product donated to us every time varies greatly from 200-1,000 pounds. Sometimes, it's seasonal non-parishable product that's perfectly good and not expired (this is maybe 10-15% of donated product). The past month or two, we've received canned pumpkin (for pumpkin pie), valentine's candy, Christmas cookies, anything pumpkin-flavored.
Another 30% of the donated product is frozen meat that is passed its best-by date: More 10% of this meat, I have to throw out myself because it's severely freezer burned or the plastic saran wrap around it has a hole in it (food pantries are not allowed to give out food that is partially opened, not sure if this is a state law or a food bank law).
Another 20-30% is non-perishable damaged product that still able to be given out (unopened) from pantries to us. The label may be partially torn off; the can may be dented, or its best by date. Non-parishable food in cardboard is likely crushed. Some other examples of this are crushed valentine's day candy (chocolate bars in 8 pieces), sugar or flour that is covered in plastic wrap because its original bag had a leak. Some of the stuff they give me I can't even give out because its packaging is already opened.
I can understand in many instances why the stores won't want to sell it: they only have maybe 5-6 of these broken items a week: determining how much to charge for a dented can of spaghetti-o's.
Regarding the trash compactors: The stores that I pick up from are lower-end and likely lower volume (in customers), none of them have a trash compactor although all 4 have a compactor exclusively for cardboard. They just throw their stuff in the dumpster.
The local foodbank arranged these partnerships with me and nearly every grocery store in Northeast Ohio has someone (the food bank itself or another pantry) picking up from them.
In addition to my picking up from the stores, the larger food bank picks up donations from the high-volume stores: wal-marts, giant eagles, etc. The product is much the same as I describe above.
If there's this much food being thrown away, ask your food bank if they're picking up from local retailers.... It's a lot of logistical work and if your food bank doesn't have the organizational capacity to arrange pickups from the stores, you have to rely on volunteers to pick up on a regular basis. This is not easy to find such volunteers. One of my pantries that has volunteers that picks up from Trader Joe's EVERY DAY is an exception.
The local retailers in my experience don't mind that much because they use it as a write-off (I assume), it's good PR (we've donated X pounds to the Food Bank and help X in need!), and it lowers their trash costs.
posted by fizzix at 1:31 PM on March 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
« Older How the 'risk' of making The Night Manager paid... | This Week In UFOs Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
something something, but socialism.
posted by daq at 6:44 PM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]