Families throw away around one third of all the food they buy

We waste so much food! This artricle is about the UK, but I'd guess we waste at least this much food in the U.S. Forty percent of wasted food is fruits and vegetables.

A month or so ago I saw a show about people who earn good livings but they choose to dumpster dive in grocery store, bakery, and restaurant trash cans. I was stunned by the amount of perfectly edible food and other usable items they got.

if the prices were a tad bit lower all them fruits and fresh veggies won't go to waste.

kasey wrote:

A month or so ago I saw a show about people who earn good livings but they choose to dumpster dive in grocery store, bakery, and restaurant trash cans. I was stunned by the amount of perfectly edible food and other usable items they got.

Perfectly edible, but exposed to what bacteria?

zeke wrote:

if the prices were a tad bit lower all them fruits and fresh veggies won't go to waste.

I'm sure for many of us that is the issue - we limit what we buy because of the high cost, so stores are stuck with it.

The article is about families who buy the food, don't eat it, and throw it out. I must admit, I've thrown out food I've bought, but not one-third of it!

The Other One wrote:

kasey wrote:

A month or so ago I saw a show about people who earn good livings but they choose to dumpster dive in grocery store, bakery, and restaurant trash cans. I was stunned by the amount of perfectly edible food and other usable items they got.

Perfectly edible, but exposed to what bacteria?

That's what soap and water are for

i can get pretty creative with left overs, and what ever food that doesnt get eaten off the plates gets added in with the dry dog food, which makes my four legged buddy very happy

The Other One wrote:

Perfectly edible, but exposed to what bacteria?

Much of it was undamaged, canned items that I think would be fine. Some was bagged items like chips, packaging still tightly sealed. What got me was the expiration dates weren't even close to their limits. Why were they throwing this food out?

Some of what was trashed was still very fresh, loosely packaged produce that I wouldn't have eaten. Many of the bakery items weren't packaged at all, just loose in the trash can. The dumpster divers didn't seem to mind. Two of them were married, one was a medical doctor. One lady was a middle-aged professional woman.

interesting......on most things they are still good even after the expiration date . but I too am dumpster diver but never for food. although i do know people who do dive for food to use as feed for livestock,and pets

wilkykav2 wrote:

The Other One wrote:

kasey wrote:

A month or so ago I saw a show about people who earn good livings but they choose to dumpster dive in grocery store, bakery, and restaurant trash cans. I was stunned by the amount of perfectly edible food and other usable items they got.

Perfectly edible, but exposed to what bacteria?

That's what soap and water are for

Who doesn't wash their produce before they use it, anyway? You have no idea if the person who handled that apple before you, washed their hands after using the toilet, or maybe they just picked their nose. Seriously... gross.

kasey wrote:

The Other One wrote:

Perfectly edible, but exposed to what bacteria?

Much of it was undamaged, canned items that I think would be fine. Some was bagged items like chips, packaging still tightly sealed. What got me was the expiration dates weren't even close to their limits. Why were they throwing this food out?

Some of what was trashed was still very fresh, loosely packaged produce that I wouldn't have eaten. Many of the bakery items weren't packaged at all, just loose in the trash can. The dumpster divers didn't seem to mind. Two of them were married, one was a medical doctor. One lady was a middle-aged professional woman.

At grocery stores, if a vendor delivered the chips to the store (Frito Lay, Guy's) they have to throw it away. If it is shipped in from the grocers warehouse, they can return outdated non-perishables to the warehouse for partial credit.

Often, those goods go to "damaged goods" outlets. There's one in south Topeka, located in a "store" on Forbes Field.

zeke wrote:

i do know people who do dive for food to use as feed for livestock,and pets

Are they diving for food in the Hays area? The show was about larger cities. I never thought about people doing it in Hays.

I'm fully aware there are people in the Hays area who are legitimately struggling to feed their families. But I'm not aware of any businesses here that throw out edible food. If there are, surely there's a way to get this food to people who need it.

it would not suprise me if people here do it to feed their families, it wouldn't at all. people have their priorities all mixed up when it comes to the money they earn, instead of paying for food shelter and utilities first, they pay lifestyle first. like cell phones, credit cards, movies, big boy toys, then what ever is left goes to the groceries, mortgage/rent utillities, or they let creditors bully them into paying them first . it is sad.

suzyr wrote:

At grocery stores, if a vendor delivered the chips to the store (Frito Lay, Guy's) they have to throw it away.

Do you know if this is a state mandate? Or federal? Much of the food on this program wasn't anywhere near its expiration date - do you know if they could they have given it away?

Quote :

do you know if they could they have given it away?

that would make too much sense. lord knows local food pantry could find a home for it, or the local soup kitchen and mission in large cities could use it

I had asked a store manager this question one time when I lived in Fl and there were homeless people in the alleys of the stores, He said that because sooo many people sue these days it is a liability to just give food away, it is actually supposed to be destroyed before going into the trash as well,
When I work at the Preschool we are not allowed to save the food or take any home. It has to be dumped as well.
But because of people taking advantage of lawsuits anymore everyone has to be careful even if it means not giving people who could use it a little left over food....

this country is going down the tube. lawsuits out the ying yang. we should start a thread on stupid lawsuits and warning labels. maybe even one about stupid laws.

in high school I worked at my uncles restaurant and one evening some hitch hiker was digging food out the dumpster to eat. my uncle saw him and we finxed him up a big plate of good fresh food off the buffet line and gave it to him. my uncle was a good guy and was not about to see anyone in bad times have to do that if he could help it

need more people like your uncle in public office,

kansas wrote:

I had asked a store manager this question one time when I lived in Fl and there were homeless people in the alleys of the stores, He said that because sooo many people sue these days it is a liability to just give food away, it is actually supposed to be destroyed before going into the trash as well,
When I work at the Preschool we are not allowed to save the food or take any home. It has to be dumped as well.
But because of people taking advantage of lawsuits anymore everyone has to be careful even if it means not giving people who could use it a little left over food....

Yup-lawsuits,that's what they said on Oprah.They are called Freegans-I think it's cool,the US is so wasteful is is an epidemic really.We are using everything up and everything is about more,more,more.
I'm seriously thinking of opening a self storage,you'll never go out of business.As a matter of fact I'm guilty too.I have a storage unit in Phoenix I've been paying $65.00 a month for since I moved here in Nov 2004,and I have forgotten what's in it for the most part except my daughter's baby stuff

kasey wrote:

suzyr wrote:

At grocery stores, if a vendor delivered the chips to the store (Frito Lay, Guy's) they have to throw it away.

Do you know if this is a state mandate? Or federal? Much of the food on this program wasn't anywhere near its expiration date - do you know if they could they have given it away?

As far as the big vendors (Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Tony's, etc.) are concerned, it's company policy. What was behind the decision making of those policies were liability issues (according to the warehouse managers I dealt with).

kansas wrote:

But because of people taking advantage of lawsuits anymore everyone has to be careful even if it means not giving people who could use it a little left over food....

I don't know if the Hays Community Assistance Center benefits fom this, but there is an oganized effot by America's Second Harvest to get food that would othewise go to waste into the mouths of needy people. List of Donors

Additionally, some restaurants have programs in place to donate edible but unsellable food to local homeless shelters. These include Panera Bread, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Longhorn Steakhouse, among many others.

If these programs are not in place in Hays, perhaps someone should work on starting them. Might be an idea to run by Dr. Lowe...

suzyr wrote:

As far as the big vendors (Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Tony's, etc.) are concerned, it's company policy. What was behind the decision making of those policies were liability issues (according to the warehouse managers I dealt with).

Is there evidence that someone who pays is less likely to sue than someone who gets the food for free? Is the liability concern different for someone who pays for the merchandise as opposed to someone who doesn't pay for it?

The perceived liability was in leaving a product on the shelf, past it's expiration date, for the consumer to buy and potentially get sick from. Everybody knows that the product is most likely still good, or useful, but "just in case" we'll put it in the garbage. The product didn't only go into the trash bin, it went into a trash compactor or incinerator. Personally, I thought it was wasteful and wrong.

suzyr wrote:

The perceived liability was in leaving a product on the shelf, past it's expiration date, for the consumer to buy and potentially get sick from. Everybody knows that the product is most likely still good, or useful, but "just in case" we'll put it in the garbage. The product didn't only go into the trash bin, it went into a trash compactor or incinerator. Personally, I thought it was wasteful and wrong.

I understand you're telling us what the company told you. It seems to me that the liability would be the same whether the user of the expired product: 1) grabbed it from their own cabinet where it had been sitting for a year or more, or 2) got it in a box from a food pantry.

Why is the company more concerned with the food pantry or dumpster diver liability? If we're all eating "expired" products, isn't the company's liability the same where everyone is concerned?

I'm not a lawyer, and I've never played one on teevee.

suzyr wrote:

Who doesn't wash their produce before they use it, anyway? You have no idea if the person who handled that apple before you, washed their hands after using the toilet, or maybe they just picked their nose. Seriously... gross.

Ever wonder about chocolate? Jeffrey Dahmer worked in a place like that and took a head to work with him once. Some nut like that working in a produce store might stick carrots or cucumbers up their butt and then put em out for sale.

LukeTHr wrote:

in high school I worked at my uncles restaurant and one evening some hitch hiker was digging food out the dumpster to eat. my uncle saw him and we finxed him up a big plate of good fresh food off the buffet line and gave it to him. my uncle was a good guy and was not about to see anyone in bad times have to do that if he could help it

Its in our power to do GOOD when we have the chance! i

Do you ever wonder what the SLOP is on "Big Brother 9"? Is it from the dumpsters? LOL The girls were getting sick from it(?) there, or something. I agree with the food share programs. Feed the hungry. Once when I was younger and raising 4 kids on my own I worked at a pizza place(not to mention names), and having hard times. We were throwing away about 5 pizza's that were freshly made... I asked the manger if I could take one home for my kids... He said No, because that had been set up in the past by employees (ordering by phone by friends so they could take free pizza's)any ways I was really up set because I didn't have much to feed my kids... They grew up just fine!!! There are alot of great programs and more I can do to help!