Frustrated shopper shares 'enraging' image of grocery store dumpster: 'I truly don't understand'

The practice of dumpster diving to save money on food and reduce waste has become quite popular, so much so that there's an entire subreddit dedicated to the hobby. While digging through grocery store dumpsters (safely, of course) can reduce a weekly food bill, the fact that so much food goes to waste highlights a deeper issue with retail sustainability. 

A frustrated shopper shared an upsetting image of yet another dumpster filled with perfectly good-looking bread and produce, sparking a heated discussion about food waste practices. 

What's happening?

In r/Anticonsumption, the consumer posted a photo of a store dumpster chock-full of at least a dozen loaves of bread, a few containers of strawberries and grapes, mushrooms, and one package of zucchini. 

It's unclear where the poster found the discarded foods, though some commenters said they looked like Aldi products. 

"This is just sad, all the good food that goes to waste," one commenter said. 

Another echoed the sentiment, writing, "That is so sad! And enraging. Are they not working with a food pantry?"

"I truly don't understand why all this food can't be donated … grocery stores would have such a good rep if they did this," someone else said. 

Why is food waste concerning?

When grocery stores have to throw out expired or unsold foods, they lose money, which means they must raise prices to compensate. In most cases, consumers are left to foot the bill.  

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.

It also takes a significant toll on the environment, as the resources used to grow and transport food are squandered when products get thrown out. When the discarded food breaks down in landfills, it adds to planet-warming pollution by releasing methane, a gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.  

We produce more than enough food, but it's simply not distributed properly. Feeding America estimates that nearly 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten or unsold, amounting to roughly 92 billion pounds of food wasted annually. Meanwhile, more than 47 million Americans face hunger, including 20% of children. 

Are companies doing anything about this?

If the grocery store in question is indeed Aldi, one former worker shed some light on the company's food waste strategies. 

They explained: "All produce thrown into the dumpster is because it's moldy or went bad. Produce doesn't have expiration or best-by dates unless it's prepared salads or cut fruit/blends. The bread is also past its best-by date, and food past its best-by date cannot be donated to food pantries because of the risk for making people sick."

"On the happier side, when working at Aldi, I oversaw weekly donations to our local food bank and food pantry. Most Aldi's contract with local food banks and pantries to donate things before they expire," the commenter continued. 

According to Aldi, it aims to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030 and regularly donates food to local food banks to help achieve this goal. Through its partnership with Feeding America, Aldi donated more than 33 million pounds of food in 2021. Last year, the chain transformed loose leftover grapes into a delicious frozen Cotton Candy grape snack to further its efforts to reduce wasted food.

What's being done about food waste more broadly?

Grocery stores and innovative startups have made major strides to ensure more food goes into people's bellies than landfills. For example, Walmart partnered with organic materials recycler Denali to address its food waste. Albertsons started donating its unsold food to nonprofits or offering it to customers at a discount through the Too Good To Go app. 

The Flashfood app also exists to address this problem, and one of its biggest partners is Stop & Shop, which features a Flashfood refrigerator at the front of nearly 200 locations to make it extra easy for app users to pick up the items they ordered. 

Both apps offer major savings on surplus food at restaurants and grocery stores while keeping millions of pounds out of landfills. 

If you want to support companies in these efforts, consider composting your food scraps and making a list before you go grocery shopping. Both actions can reduce food waste and help you save money on groceries, especially if you use compost to grow your own food.

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