A Reddit user ignited backlash by posting a photo of a Krispy Kreme at closing time.
What's happening?
They accused the company of overproducing doughnuts that repeatedly fail to sell.
"All these donuts will go in the bin... wasted… … This is more than avoidable," they vented. Photos revealed dozens of doughnuts.
The post sparked a passionate discussion about food waste.
"Back when I lived in the U.S., Publix used to have fried chicken, spicy wings, and a whole hot-food section. At the end of the day, they'd just throw it all into the trash," one commenter shared. "... I also worked as a server. … Customers would order boatloads of food, barely touch it, and everything would be thrown out. Perfectly edible food — gone. The scale of it was unreal."
"Frustrating," another agreed.
Why is this important?
At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to put food on the table, 30-40% of the country's food supply ends up in landfills. There, it becomes a source of air pollution.
And as Stanford University highlighted in an energy spotlight, the waste goes beyond just food. It also includes "embedded energy" — that is, land, water, labor, materials, and capital.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that food waste accounts for $940 billion in annual global economic losses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Is Krispy Kreme doing anything about this?
Retailers are sometimes hesitant to donate items because of liability concerns, but in the United States, the Good Samaritan Act provides protection for those who make donations in good faith.
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$200 or more 💰 On its website, Krispy Kreme acknowledges that food waste is a problem and says it tries to avoid it. "We try our best with demand planning to get it right," it states.
Still, it says its processes aren't perfect. To that end, it diverts 100% of its food waste from landfills by turning it into animal feed.
"If they get donated to be turned into feed is it still waste?" another person asked.
One user said their Krispy Kreme partners with Too Good to Go, an app that connects shoppers with steeply discounted surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. All in all, Krispy Kreme says more than 100 of its stores have teamed up with Too Good to Go.
How can I reduce food waste more broadly?
Too Good to Go is one of many platforms combating food waste while helping people slash grocery bills. Flashfood, Misfits Market, and Martie are similar marketplaces to explore.
You can also drastically reduce air pollution associated with food waste by composting your food scraps. In turn, you'll gain a nutritious fertilizer for your garden at no extra cost.
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