Passerby stunned by discovery in boxes behind Target: 'This is extremely sad'

One dumpster diver was in the right place at the right time and scored a major win — in the form of Target's entire refrigerated section.

Tiffany, who goes by Dumpster Diving Mama (@dumpsterdivingmama) on TikTok, shared a video of the find after the refrigerated section lost power.

@dumpsterdivingmama THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A REFRIGERATED SECTION GOES OUT. NOTHING EXPIRED. 🫨 #dumpsterdiversoftexas #DUMPSTERDIVING #dumpsterdivingmama #DUMPSTERDIVER ♬ original sound - ᴅᴜᴍᴘꜱᴛᴇʀᴅɪᴠɪɴɢᴍᴀᴍᴀ

"Look at all these pallets," Tiffany said while walking among enormous waist-high boxes filled with cheese, yogurt, juice, eggs, and more. "They're all still cold!"

The TikToker shared a quick video of their final haul, which included several bags of sausage, steak, cheese, coffee, and juice.

"As we've been loading the car, the dumpster guy pulled up to take all the food," Tiffany said.

Commenters were happy for Tiffany but dismayed to see the food going to waste. Several questioned the retailer's decision to send the cold food straight to the landfill, calling it "infuriating."

"I'll never understand America," wrote one viewer.

Another agreed, saying, "This is extremely sad."

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence, and there is some reasoning behind it. When a retailer's freezers or refrigerators go out, donating the cold food can introduce food safety liability.

But looking at the boxes, it's hard to believe that nothing could have been done, such as putting out a call on local Facebook groups and giving people an hour to grab the food.

Should grocery stores donate food that's past its sell-by date? Yes — as long as it's not bad 🤢 Yes — but only certain foods 🥫 Only if it doesn't cost the store 💸 No — it could lead to problems 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Could've gone to people who needed it," one person vented.

Nonperishable items, on the other hand, often make their way to food banks. This has the dual benefit of feeding the community and boosting business for grocers.

However, there is always food that ends up being tossed, and that's where savvy dumpster diving can start to count.

Food waste advocate and seasoned dumpster diver Robin Greenfield explained: "Our grocery store dumpsters in the United States are filled to the brim with perfectly good food and I've been in over 1,000 dumpsters in 25 states across the country to see for myself. … We throw away nearly half of the food we produce, enough to feed more than 200 million US Americans. The numbers are out there, but most people have to see it to believe it."

Whether you are ready to put on some gloves and dive in or would prefer to drive around the day before curbside pickup, looking for low-cost items in your neighborhood is a great way to save money and prevent waste. If you do it often enough, you might strike gold — or cold — like Tiffany did.

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