A Chipotle employee was disheartened after wrapping up a closing shift in which they had to toss dozens of pounds of perfectly good cheese, sparking a spirited discussion surrounding food safety in Reddit's community dedicated to the popular Mexican-inspired grill.
What's happening?
"This is how much we tossed," the employee wrote in the r/Chipotle subreddit, sharing photos of huge blocks of cheese sitting on a scale. The digital counter exceeds 30 pounds.
"I always feel bad," the original poster explained further. "The day before Thanksgiving, my manager had to go through and toss a lot of stuff from the walk-in because we were gonna be closed for a day ... It made me so absolutely sad and angry because, like, cheese lasts for a WHILE. This is why I hate closing."
Another Chipotle employee was surprised that the store intended to toss so much cheese.
"I have never seen or heard of anyone throw away cheese because we are closed on Thanksgiving," they shared, adding that their location threw out items like lettuce.
"Can't you donate it to a local shelter?" another person asked, while another wondered: "Why can't you take it home?"
"Wow, this is ridiculous," another person stated, suggesting that the store could have managed food prep differently to prevent so much cheese from going to waste.
Why is this important?
While our food systems are essential, they require energy from production to transport. When food goes to waste, the energy usage (and pollution generated) is basically for nothing.
The environmental impacts don't stop there, either. When food rots in landfills, it generates methane, a potent gas 28 times more powerful at heating the Earth than carbon dioxide pound-for-pound.
The accelerated rise of global temperatures is connected to a range of worrying effects that contribute to food insecurity, including supercharged extreme weather events and more favorable conditions for crop-destroying pests.
It's unclear what led the OP's Chipotle store to throw out so much cheese, but one commenter suggested it may have been a managerial issue.
"Our manager(s) orders our truck and is responsible for planning out roughly how much product we'll use for each holiday based off of the past years. 9/10 times it's correct," they wrote. "The 1 time is when we ran out, but we'd rather run out than have to pull waste."
Another shared how their location tossed refrigerated items after a five-day power outage following a major storm, as it was a food safety issue. Some grocery stores have donated items during outages, though the aftermath of the storm perhaps complicated the matter.
Is Chipotle doing anything to reduce food waste?
In 2018, the company announced more robust goals to cut restaurant waste in landfills by 50% with mindful food preparation like small-batch cooking, composting, and scaling up a Harvest Program food donation initiative to 80% of its locations.
According to its latest sustainability report, its efforts have moved the needle positively. Chipotle says that 100% of its stores participate in the Harvest Program, with more than 323,000 pounds of food donated to community partners. Over one-third of its locations also compost — a practice that reduces the generation of planet-warming gases.
What can be done about food waste more broadly?
Composting isn't just for businesses like Chipotle. If you're unable to begin your own practice at home, many cities have programs that accept food scraps for composting.
Freezing food is also an excellent way to keep it fresh for extended periods, and storing cheese in wax or parchment rather than plastic will keep it safe for consumption for longer. Don't forget that you can also repurpose leftovers into tasty sauces and other meal complements.
All in all, simple hacks like these are good for the planet and your wallet.
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