In a post on r/DumpsterDiving, the user complained about the common business practice. "This happens at every grocery store in this country to some degree every day," they said. "If it's dated it goes, if it's damaged it goes. … They don't care they just throw it."
For proof, they attached a photo of a dumpster full of food. Bags of bread products, boxes of instant stuffing, and granola bars fill most of the frame.
"Food banks, etc., could stop this if it was well known they had a strike force that would remove it all within one hour, but they don't work that way," said the Redditor. "So this is what happens … All grocery stores of any size allow for this on their balance sheets, for $500-$1500 a day for waste which they call 'shrink.''
Why is food in the dumpster important?
For one thing, the food in this photo represents hundreds of meals that those most in need could have received.
Also, even if you have the money to shop at these stores, prices are higher than they need to be to account for losses, so you're likely feeling the indirect effects of this practice.
Finally, wasting food is hard on the Earth. When we throw food out, we have to prepare more to replace it, and all that extra farmland, water, fertilizer, and energy has to come from somewhere. Plus, raising animals, processing ingredients into food, and transporting that food all create air pollution, which insulates the Earth and raises its temperature.
Why does this happen?
While there are laws in place to protect the donors of food that ends up at shelters and food banks, companies may still worry about liability and often decide that it's better to be safe than sorry.
There's also a less generous take, which is that if stores gave away products for free, fewer people would come in to buy them — and they want to make more money. This is one reason that workers are often asked to destroy products to be thrown away.
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
Apps like Too Good To Go allow stores to sell food for a discount when it's close to its sell-by date. This way, the business can make some money back, and consumers can save money.
Another option is to turn expired food into animal feed or compost.
Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
