When it comes to food, a certain amount of waste is inevitable when items spoil. There are ways to minimize the loss, though, but many businesses seem not to care, as one Publix employee demonstrated with a photo of the waste from their station.
What's happening?
The post appeared on r/Publix. "This was my hotcase tonight and I had to throw away quite a bit," the original poster wrote.
The attached photo shows multiple shelves piled with packaged hot food, including chicken, macaroni and cheese, and potato wedges. There are over 30 items pictured, and all of it is perfectly good and ready to eat, but according to the OP, the demand didn't match the supply.
"We had three phone orders: one for 9:30, which was three pounds of wedges, and two for 9:45, which were spicy breaded wings," they said. "Gotta love it…"
Why is this food waste important?
By stocking the hotcase with food that no one has asked for, Publix makes it convenient for shoppers to buy something quickly. However, the store increases its costs due to all the waste, and there's no business cost that isn't reflected in higher prices for consumers.
Meanwhile, people go hungry when they could have enjoyed this hot food.
One commenter expressed their frustration with employees being unable to take this food home, writing, "It disgusts me that all of that will just get scanned out and into the bin."
Many large businesses won't donate food like this out of fear of liability if it goes bad before it's eaten. However, there are other ways to offload hot food quickly, like offering it at a discount close to closing or listing it on an app like Too Good To Go.
This waste isn't just hard on people and businesses. It's also bad for the environment. The more food gets wasted, the more time and space has to be devoted to agriculture, food manufacturing, and shipping — all of which use resources and create pollution.
🗣️ What's your biggest motivation in trying to reduce your personal food waste?
🔘 Saving money 💰
🔘 Helping the planet 🌎
🔘 Not being a wasteful person 😇
🔘 I don't think about reducing food waste 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Is Publix doing anything about this?
Publix has been called out many times for wasting food across multiple departments. It's clear not all of its policies are aligned with the goal of preventing waste.
However, it has taken some steps in the right direction. According to its website, it says it has donated almost 900 million pounds of food since 2015, and it claims to have diverted over 49 million pounds of food waste in 2023.
"Intolerance of waste is what Mr. George [Jenkins] believed in when he founded Publix, and it's still in our mission statement today," Publix CEO Kevin Murphy says. "Environmental responsibility has always been important to Publix. The processes we have in place — from our bagging techniques to our product packaging — support reusing, reducing, and recycling waste."
What can I do about food waste?
One of the biggest steps individuals can take is growing food at home whenever possible. Not only will this save you money, it will prevent a lot of waste and pollution. You can also look for companies with eco-friendly waste policies.
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