A Walmart employee recently shared shocking images of perfectly good chicken tenders piled high in trash bins in their store's meat cooler, sparking concerns about food waste when many Americans struggle with rising grocery costs.
What happened?
The employee took to Reddit to expose the contents of their store's meat department cooler: garbage bins overflowing with edible chicken tenders that the deli discarded at closing time.
"This is just sitting in the corner of the meat cooler. This can't be normal??? It's disgusting!" the concerned employee wrote.
They wrote that the waste bins are "chock full" almost every time they check, suggesting this may be an ongoing issue. When they raised concerns with their team lead, they were met with indifference about the apparent routine disposal.
Why is this food waste concerning?
When edible food ends up in landfills instead of on plates, it creates a devastating chain reaction. As food decomposes, it releases methane — a dirty gas that warms our planet.
Beyond the environmental impact, this waste is troubling, given that 1 in 5 American children faces food insecurity. The disposed chicken could have provided meals to hungry families through local food banks and shelters.
Is Walmart doing anything about this?
Walmart has previously committed to achieving zero waste in its U.S. and Canada operations by 2025.
The company partners with Feeding America and Sam's Club and claims to have donated more than 7 billion pounds of food since 2006. However, this incident suggests there may be gaps between corporate policy and store-level execution.
The company also launched Project Gigaton in 2017, aiming to reduce pollution in its supply chain by 1 billion metric tons by 2030. While these initiatives show promise, the Reddit post indicates that more employee training and consistent implementation of food donation programs may be needed at the store level.
🗣️ What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food?
🔘 Bought more than I could eat 🛒
🔘 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎
🔘 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞
🔘 Didn't want leftovers 🥡
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
Solutions to retail food waste already exist and are proving successful across the country.
Many grocery stores now partner with food rescue apps that connect them with local nonprofits to collect surplus food before it spoils. Some retailers offer discounted prices on items approaching their sell-by date, while others have implemented improved inventory management systems to reduce overstock.
Consumers can help by shopping at stores with robust food donation programs and using apps like Too Good To Go to purchase surplus food at reduced prices. You can also encourage your local grocery stores to partner with food rescue organizations, making it easier for them to donate rather than dispose of excess food.
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