Waste in the food industry has been called out countless times. For many providers, food is cheap, and the profit from sales makes up for any losses from the waste. This attitude is frustrating for many, including both customers and employees.
What's happening?
One Walmart worker posted photos of food waste in the r/Walmart subreddit.
"Waste in the deli," said the original poster, sharing a photo of trash cans full of food. Whole chickens seem to fill three of the barrels, while another holds smaller items like chicken pieces and taquitos.
"This goes in the trash nightly," the original poster complained.
"Why are you not blast chilling them?" asked a commenter. "It's so easy, or do you not have a blast chiller yet?"
"No room," the original poster replied. "Manager wants them dumped."
Why is deli food waste important?
One commenter pointed out the humanitarian angle. "Some estimates say over 30% of food made in the U.S. gets trashed, whereas over 12% of people in the US can't get enough food. Sucks," they said. However, they did note that corporations may fear lawsuits over donated food that spoils.
Another problem with food waste is that the company has to pay for it somehow. Many companies do so by increasing profit margins on their remaining items — meaning higher prices for consumers.
Finally, that wasted food ties up land and water in its production. It uses up energy and resources just to take up space in a landfill once it spoils. All of that is hard on our planet — for no reason.
Is Walmart doing anything about this?
Walmart does have a program to donate food that would otherwise go to waste. It diverts many pounds of food from landfills and to the tables of people in need.
However, there are flaws in this program, as foods like milk, candy bars, and fresh produce slip through the cracks — along with these hot deli items.
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
For food that hasn't expired yet, apps like Too Good To Go can help stores sell it more quickly and recoup some costs. Plus, shoppers get a great deal on the items sold, making this a useful tool for both sellers and buyers.
As for food that can't be sold or donated, composting is still an option, and so is using it for animal feed. Both these ideas help recycle spoiled food into new, fresh food.
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