Food waste is a natural part of restaurant operations, but most businesses at least try to donate, discount, or compost some of it to reduce environmental impacts. One Raising Cane's location apparently didn't get the memo about the importance of sustainability, according to a Reddit user.

What happened?

In the r/RaisingCanes subreddit, an employee shared a photo of a bucketful of chicken that was headed for the trash. It's unclear why it wasn't being sold, as it didn't appear to be burnt or inedible in any way.

"We had a support manager from the mall and this was her first time being in an actual store," the original poster explained. "We were extremely busy all night, but for some reason she kept on wasting perfectly fine bird. And she wasted A TON of it. I've NEVER seen it that bad."

"Having food waste when you sell one menu item is wild," one commenter said.

"This has to stop," another shared.

"Just add an extra baby tender to each box," a third wrote. "These chickens died for us."

Why is food waste concerning?

There is a shocking amount of food waste worldwide. According to The World Counts, approximately one-third of food is wasted, equivalent to around 1.3 billion tons each year. Meanwhile, around 800 million people suffer from food insecurity or malnutrition. 

Food waste not only contributes to growing hunger and inequality but also to negative environmental impacts, including wasted land, water, fertilizer, energy, and labor needed to grow, store, process, transport, and cook food. Not to mention, when it's tossed in landfills, it releases harmful gases such as methane that contribute to rising global temperatures. The World Counts explained that the global food system is responsible for roughly 30% of pollution.

When restaurants contribute to the problem, especially by discarding large quantities of food, both people and the planet suffer. If you consider how many fast food chains, eateries, and grocery stores throw away food each day, the issue is immense. 

Is Raising Cane's doing anything about this?

Raising Cane's has not disclosed its food waste statistics; however, it partners with local food banks and organizations to provide meals to those in need, according to its website. 

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Barry Shore, an expert in the Lean Six Sigma management method, explained in a LinkedIn post that Raising Cane's minimizes waste through a limited menu and standardized processes. 

However, several other employees have complained about the company's food waste, including one who showed buckets of tenders, fries, and toast headed for the trash and another who said that meals cooked during training were thrown out instead of being donated or given to employees. A third explained that chicken is cooked in anticipation of customer orders; if too much is prepared, it is discarded to prevent foodborne illnesses and other liabilities for the company.

In that case, better inventory management systems and historical sales data can help restaurants reduce waste and save money on food costs. 

What else is being done about food waste?

Corporations and nonprofits have devised innovative ways to repurpose food and provide more meals to those in need. For example, in San Francisco, ExtraFood recovers food from grocery stores, schools, and gardens and delivers it to people experiencing food insecurity. In the United Kingdom, the supermarket chain Sainsbury's has partnered with a waste processing company to create biofuel from unsold food that isn't fit for donation.

At home, you can cut back on food waste by composting scraps, which will give you free fertilizer for your garden as a bonus.

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