Grocery store employee sparks outrage over store's concerning practice: 'Left for days to rot'

An Asda employee has taken to Reddit to describe chillers full of stock that never make it to shelves before expiring.

What's happening?

One Reddit user described finding "a full chiller and a half of food waste every day" at their store, attributing the problem to understaffing.

"We are chronically understaffed and, as a result, the stock isn't being put on the shelf… it's just going out of date… heaps and heaps of it… left for days to rot," the employee wrote.

Other commenters shared similar experiences. 

"If anyone figures anything out I'd love to know as we are also in the same boat," wrote one commenter.

Another suggested the problem has worsened "since the switchover," which is likely a reference to Asda's 2021 sale from Walmart to the Issa brothers and private equity firm TDR Capital.

Why is food waste concerning?

When perfectly good food ends up in bins because of staffing decisions, everyone pays the price. The labor, transportation, and production costs that went into those products get thrown away along with the food itself.

UK retailers waste an estimated 297,000 tons of food each year, equal to roughly 190 million meals. The UK implemented new food waste separation rules in March 2025, requiring businesses to keep food waste out of general rubbish.

While proper disposal is a step forward, the real goal should be preventing that waste from happening in the first place.

Is Asda doing anything about this?

Asda does have food redistribution programs in place. The company reports that 87.7% of its operational waste has been redistributed or recycled in 2024.

What's your biggest motivation in trying to reduce your personal food waste? Saving money 💰 Helping the planet 🌎 Not being a wasteful person 😇 I don't think about reducing food waste 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Through a decade-long partnership with FareShare, Asda has donated more than 17,636 tons of surplus food to charities. In 2024, the company expanded this program by partnering with food-sharing app Olio and rolling out Too Good To Go "Surprise Bags" at nearly 1,000 locations.

These programs depend on having staff available to sort and process donations. The Reddit accounts suggest that operational pressures at individual stores may be creating gaps between corporate policy and what actually happens on the ground.

What can be done about food waste more broadly?

For shoppers, apps like Too Good To Go and Misfits Market offer ways to rescue surplus food from local stores. Buying "wonky" produce and checking reduced sections can help move items before they expire.

For food that does go to waste, composting is a backup option. New UK legislation requires businesses to separate food waste, sending most of it to anaerobic digestion facilities where it becomes biogas and fertilizer.

On the policy side, more than 30 UK businesses, including Aldi and Tesco, have called on the government to mandate food waste reporting for large firms. Making waste data public could push retailers to address problems before food ever hits the bin.

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