A dumpster diver drew attention to the arbitrary nature of grocery store food waste after a near-miss on a massive haul of food.
What's happening?
They shared a picture of a dumpster filled with food on the r/DumpsterDiving Reddit forum.
The photo revealed heaps of lunch kits, including Lunchables pizza, assorted deli meats, butter, and burgers, among other items. The original poster noted they arrived "about an hour too late" to salvage most of the goods that were exposed to the sun.
They were "able to grab some things still cool over in the shade." Still, the situation didn't sit well with them, even though they didn't come out empty-handed.
"What really p***** me off it that this is 'real food,'" they wrote. Other users agreed with that sentiment.
"This infuriates me!" one reacted. "Why don't they donate it, so many people could benefit from this."
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Why is food waste concerning?
America wastes a staggering amount of food despite rising food insecurity. The numbers are mind-bending: Around 80 million tons of food — or 33% of all food — are wasted each year in America, per ReFED.
Grocery stores are a major contributor to the problem, as anticipating consumer behavior amid inflation can lead to poor inventory management. Mechanical failures can also lead retailers to toss food due to safety concerns.
Commenters on the thread noted that it's certainly not new for grocery stores to discard food rather than donate it. That is despite the obvious benefits of giving food to the hungry. The reason is complex, as food safety regulations require that items be deemed safe before donation.
It's unclear in this case if the dumpster diver was paying much attention to the best-by dates of the items on display. Either way, all of the waste not only strains agricultural systems but also contributes to pollution when food ends up in landfills.
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Heck yes 👍 Are grocery stores doing anything about this?
Some grocers have proactively taken on this problem. A Trader Joe's employee touted their store's policy of maximizing donations to local homeless shelters or even to shoppers before items go bad.
Kroger also has initiatives in place, though employees have noted instances where the brand falls short due to a lack of staffing.
Composting is another way to at least reduce the damage done by food waste. Big retailers such as Walmart have composting programs, but again employees have expressed frustration with the execution of these good ideas.
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
Solutions such as the Too Good To Go app are also available to tackle food waste by offering still-good produce at lower prices.
Overall, addressing food waste requires innovative approaches. That includes expanding relationships with food banks, improving storage solutions to prolong freshness, and using next-gen tools to better monitor inventory and reduce oversupply.
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