Walmart employee sparks debate after sharing upsetting photo from outside their store: 'This isn't even all of it'

A Walmart employee showcased the aftermath of a storm in their unspecified location, and their post prompted others to share how extreme weather had impacted the availability of fresh goods.

What's happening?

In Reddit's r/walmart community, the employee shared a photo of numerous crates with perishable food and beverage products stacked high outside of their store that would likely be thrown out.

"All of our coolers went in the storm, and this isn't even all of it," the poster wrote, adding that the waste occurred just one day after their store completed inventory.  

Other Redditors were also saddened by the situation. 

"Seeing all those simply juices go to waste hurts," one commenter wrote. 

"Multiply that with all the other stores that also experienced the hurricane," someone else added, to which a third person replied: "We are the only 1/5 in our general area to have a generator. Everywhere else lost all their fresh."

Why is this important?

In 2024, extreme weather events pummeled the U.S. agricultural sector, causing more than $20.3 billion in crop and rangeland losses, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

However, as this Reddit post demonstrates, the damage isn't confined to just one area. Businesses with spoiled inventory often have to eat the cost of those losses. 

When a storm disrupts supply chains and results in spoilage (and prompts people to stockpile goods), consumers can also experience temporary food insecurity. 

For instance, Purdue University's November 2024 Consumer Food Insights report found nearly 21% of households following Hurricanes Helene and Milton "sometimes" or "often" didn't have enough to eat, while more than half of respondents said they increased their food spending. 

What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home? Move somewhere else 🌎 Reinforce my home 🏠 Nothing 🤷 This is happening already 😬 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Is Walmart doing anything about this?

The OP didn't provide details about how long their Walmart's coolers had been out — or any more information about the severity of the storm. 

Kroger and Trader Joe's are among the retailers that have donated food in the event of power outages. However, the Walmart store may have lost electricity long enough for the discarded items to surpass certain temperature thresholds, making them unsafe for consumption. 

For its part, Walmart says it has worked to limit food waste and expand access to low-cost, healthy foods through its partnerships with Feeding America and local food banks, donating more than 7.5 billion pounds of food since 2006.  

Walmart has also teamed up with organic materials recycler Denali to reduce food waste, though it is unclear whether the OP's store sent any of its waste to a compost facility.

What can be done about food waste more broadly?

While rising global temperatures are supercharging extreme weather events, you can limit food waste in the event of a grid outage by making your home more climate resilient. 

Installing solar panels and a battery storage system can help you keep your lights on during blackouts — just keep in mind that if you've connected your system to the grid, you could lose power so that utility workers can safely get things back on track. EnergySage is one company that can help you explore your options.   

Other ways to reduce food waste regardless of the weather include keeping your food fresh for longer by freezing it and cooking creative meals with leftovers. 

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