Wasted food in grocery stores and at food service suppliers is not uncommon, as they must follow safety guidelines and throw away anything that is expired or otherwise damaged.
However, many try their best to donate food that is still deemed safe to eat; unfortunately, that wasn't the case with an employee's workplace.
What happened?
In r/Anticonsumption, a McLane employee shared photos of carts full of boxes bound for the trash. The boxes contained chocolate milk, frozen pizzas, juice, and more.
The original poster mentioned that most of it was lightly damaged, but McLane wouldn't give it away, offer it to a food bank, or sell it to employees.
"Just wasteful," they wrote.
"That's my favorite chocolate milk," one user commented. "I remember damaging out so much product when I worked retail and my shop was constantly getting in hot water for trying to repurpose damaged stuff or letting employees take some instead of throwing it all away, and this was a company that was always tooting its horn about reducing waste."
One user, who some suspected was a corporate employee, explained that companies often won't take damaged goods, and employees might try to sell them online, hurting the store's profits.
In response, the OP said, "That's a fancy way to try and excuse the thousands of dollars of waste."
Why is food waste concerning?
While the presumed corporate employee said that McLane does donate to food banks regularly, the OP had a point that the food distributor could've salvaged the pizzas and other items somehow, even if they couldn't be donated. For instance, the store could have discounted the food or given it to employees instead.
According to the USDA, an estimated 30% to 40% of the food supply in the United States goes to waste and often ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases potent methane gas.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Should companies be required to help recycle their own products?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 In addition, all of the resources that went into growing, transporting, producing, and every other step of the supply chain are wasted when food isn't sold.
Meanwhile, Feeding America noted that 47 million people in the nation face food insecurity — including one in five children — which really puts the amount of food thrown in the trash every year into perspective.
Is McLane doing anything about this?
The company's website explained that it "has enterprise-wide initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainable practices," such as investing in renewable energy, launching recycling programs, and using energy-efficient technologies throughout its operations, including electric yard trucks.
It wasn't clear whether the recycling program includes slightly damaged items like those in the photo above, but if the company can't donate them, that would be the next-best option.
What else is being done about food waste?
It can be tricky for stores to donate food, as it must be inspected for spoilage first. Even if the items seem fine, some stores avoid giving them away due to liability concerns.
However, in some cases, grocers do donate food, such as when Trader Joe's and Kroger lost power during a storm and their freezers went out. They were able to give away thousands of pounds of food to charity.
If you'd like to help address food waste, try composting scraps or getting creative in the kitchen with leftovers. Both of these options are not just good for your wallet, but also for the planet.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
