Food waste is a major issue worldwide, but that doesn't stop grocery stores and restaurants from throwing away vast amounts of food every day. While stores sometimes have no other choice but to toss expired or spoiled products so customers don't get sick, they often throw out perfectly good food that could've been donated to charities.
An employee at a Publix grocery store shared an upsetting instance of food waste with Reddit, which sparked outrage among commenters.
What's happening?
In the r/Publix subreddit, the worker shared a photo of nearly expired containers of watermelon, assorted fruits, and romaine salad. Sadly, all the food still looked okay to be sold and eaten since it wasn't moldy or showing other signs of decay.
"This picture was taken yesterday, the 8th. Products expired on the 9th. This is a relatively small batch of product. Insane how instead of potentially giving it out for free, to employees, or reduced prices/donated; instead, our local garbage compactor gets to taste it," they explained in the post.
"That's the price of Publix wanting all the shelves filled with product, the most important thing to corporate is the visual the customer gets. Everything else is after that, and waste is the least of their worries," one person commented.
"I feel we could compost the produce … and sell it off," one commenter shared.
"All that wasted plastic is what bothers me. The food will biodegrade and become nutrients for plants but all that plastic is just going to sit in a landfill," another said.
Why is food waste concerning?
A mind-blowing amount of food gets thrown in the trash across the world, including "imperfect" produce that may be unappealing to customers, nearly expired breads, and other products. According to Recycle Track Systems, the world wastes around 2.5 billion tons of food annually. The United States tops the charts when it comes to discarded food, with a whopping 120 billion pounds sent to landfills each year. That equates to around 40% of the entire food supply.
At the same time, 47 million people in the U.S., including 14 million children, face hunger, according to Feeding America. However, it's not from a lack of available food, but from mismanagement of the food system.
🗣️ 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
Food waste is also a burden on the environment since it's responsible for around 11% of the world's heat-trapping pollution, per Recycle Track Systems. When it rots in landfills, it releases harmful gases that directly contribute to our changing climate. Not to mention, wasting food squanders precious resources needed to grow and transport it — namely water, energy, and labor.
Is Publix doing anything about this?
Publix announced it diverted nearly 50 million pounds of food waste from its manufacturing facilities to farms for livestock feed in 2023. Specifically, whey from its dairy plant and bakery leftovers were turned into animal feed.
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
While food waste is a complex issue since grocers must ensure food is safe before donating or giving it away, some grocery stores have shown that it isn't as complicated as it might seem. In the past, both Kroger and Trader Joe's donated or gave away thousands of dollars' worth of food when their refrigeration went out.
We can also help by composting food scraps and getting creative with leftovers. Everyone knows that "kitchen sink" meals are the most delicious ones, after all.
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