Some people may know this but I have just learned a stunning and truly unbelievable fact...
Grocery stores accept up to 20% "dead loss". Meat, dairy, produce, when expired are dumped down the garbage chute. Stores purposely over order to have full display cases. Food that could have gone to good use is allowed to expire and be destroyed. For shame.
I spoke to an unnamed source who worked in the grocery store business for over 25 years. A major national chain. As a store manager he knew the workings inside and out of the ordering policies and display practices. Along with the disposal policy of expired perishable goods.
The information he passed on to me was shocking. And all the major chains have roughly the same policy!!
Basically the stores are directed to maintain full and fresh display cases of meat, fish, poultry, and produce. All your major perishable items. In order to do this they would over-order above anticipated sales and dispose (under somewhat heavy guard) of all expired food by grinding it all up in the garbage bin.
In some places where the clientele is higher end there are exotics like swordfish that get dumped at expiration time.
A typical 20% "dead loss" was automatically built into the product inventory calculations.
Now I have to believe a couple things...accepting that amount of loss financially would be somehow passed on to the end-consumer in the form of higher prices; the food about to expire could be put to good use.
The first and foremost use that just kind of leaps out is using this product to feed the homeless. For shelters that generally rely on donations and volunteer work this would be a windfall. It would also be a write-off for the store chain in the form of charity donation. Allowing them to hold down the costs of retail product.
Imagine a major store chain with several locations in a major metropolitan area donating expired food DAILY to homeless shelters. This would go along way to helping your fellow man. I know the true cynic may say, "well if you start feeding the homeless prime rib and swordfish you will just end up with more homeless." I am not buying that. In fact, I say any money not used to fund the food program can now be used to create work training projects to help the homeless help themselves.
But here is the kicker, the grocery store chain does not see the value in this and continues to destroy perfectly good food rather than take the time to contribute to a humane cause. Clearly this food still has some value as the stores stringently supervise the destruction of the goods for fear someone at the store will "pocket" something to take home.
My friends, this is shameful behavior for the greatest nation on earth who has as much of a crisis feeding its homeless and starving segment of the population. I understand other countries too poor or unable to grow enough food for its crisis population that it needs to have the most basic food shipped in, but in this country there is no excuse for this waste.
Solving this problem does not take some new technology...it just takes a plan.
Here are a few links to educate yourself on this insanity:
Food Safety News
Feeding The Landfill
7 Shocking Food Waste Stats
What do you have to say about this? What should we as a country do about it? What can YOU do about it? Is this more important an issue than all the blustery about "gun control"?
7 comments:
I know about this and I think the reason the grocery stores don't donate the food is because of liability issues. They fear being held responsible based on their donation. It's easy to blame the lawyers, but really it's just a sad indictment of our culture in general.
That is some shitty stuff. How about we all steal some food and give it to homeless shelters?
Insanity! One of grocery stores we go to is pretty good at donating produce and meats that are nearing the end of their shelf life. The other one we go to sells their oldish meat and bread at hugely reduced prices.
One of the sad things about produce is that even the "good" and "fresh" stuff isn't all that great anymore.
It is sad that we waste so much, when so many are doing without. GREAT and thought provoking post Chuck.
Johanna: Would not surprise me at all. The number of web sites addressing this subject and no "hue and cry" over it makes me sad. So does your statement of the indictment of society. I am sure there is a work around legalities if they really wanted to make it happen.
PTM: This is another way to go...
Pat: It just boggles my mind. You never hear about this in the mainstream (opposed) media.
I do think it's terrible, and I suspect the same sort of loss (if not more?) is seen in restaurants and the like. Food that could go to those who are hungry is instead thrown away, destroyed, and all because of some bottom line somewhere. It's not right at all. I think we're a very wasteful country. We want to buy new instead of fixing old (though fixing old has become as expensive as buying new, making it hard to go with the more rational choice). We want our food pretty and garnished. How much lettuce is used to line a plate? People could survive on food that is just garnish. We're just plain wasteful, and it's sad.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse
Hi Chuck .. you're absolutely right - but I hadn't realised the reason .. hadn't thought about that aspect.
And one other thing .. the waste of water that occurs too .. in that 20% being grown, cleaned up, transported ... etc etc ..
We are not being very clever and someone needs to make a very political decision that the electorate won't like .. will that happen - sadly I doubt it ..
Cheers Hilary
Wow, I had no idea. I do know there are warped laws and regulations about donating food, and because of this, there's an enormous amount of waste. As you suggested, all this food could and SHOULD go to feeding the homeless. It's outrageous that it goes to waste. Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention, Chuck.
xoRobyn
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