Shopper shares photo of unusual scene in local supermarket: 'I just collected all of this'

There's a lot of food waste in the world, and unfortunately, businesses can't always donate or discount it if there's a chance someone could get sick. 

But, thankfully, some companies have stepped forward to help deliver unwanted food to customers, usually at a lower rate. 

One shopper shared their experience with a popular food-sharing app in the United Kingdom, sparking an interesting discussion about food waste on r/ZeroWaste. 

What happened?

In the Reddit thread, the shopper shared a photo of many bags of food and even flowers they'd helped rescue from a grocery store. 

"I just collected all of this food from my local supermarket, as part of a volunteer program with Olio to prevent typically discarded food items ending up in the landfill," they explained in the post. "If you are in the UK, I recommend you check the app out!"

One person commented, "In the US, this is mostly performative...still dumpsters of waste hidden behind or even closed inside the stores. Grocery stores throw out so much food. Olio is a great app though...every little bit helps!"

"I use FlashFood for this reason," another shared. 

Why is food waste concerning?

In the United States, around 30% to 40% of food is wasted, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

As Feeding America noted, that amounts to around 92 billion pounds of food per year, nearly 52% of which comes from the food industry. Europe also struggles with food waste, as Earth.org reported that 200 million people could be fed with the amount of food currently thrown away on the continent. 

All uneaten and unsold food results in higher prices at the grocery store and tons of wasted resources in production and transportation. Not to mention that as food breaks down in landfills, it releases potent planet-warming gases like methane, which contribute to rising temperatures and more extreme weather. 

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While some countries may have better policies and initiatives to reduce waste, it's still a major problem worldwide.

Are companies doing anything about this?

As the poster said, the app Olio is a great way to cut down on food waste and help the planet. It connects businesses and residents to share surplus food for free; users list unwanted edible food or household items, and others nearby can request and collect them. 

Volunteers, known as "Food Waste Heroes," like the original poster, pick up food from local businesses and deliver it to app users. 

Similar apps like Too Good To Go and FlashFood connect users with local restaurants and grocery stores to buy discounted food — sometimes at 50% or more off — to prevent food waste.

What else is being done to reduce food waste?

Online grocery retailers such as Martie and Misfits Market also help customers save significantly on food while keeping it out of landfills. 

Martie specializes in shelf-stable foods offered at up to 80% discounts, while the latter focuses on selling "ugly" or imperfect produce and sustainable meat and dairy at close to 20% off retail prices. 

Grocery stores can't solve the food waste problem alone, even with donations and discounts, so these companies serve as facilitators, delivering food to more people in need rather than to landfills. 

Using these services is one way to benefit your wallet and the environment while saving time on grocery shopping.

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