Food waste is a big problem in America, and it happens in myriad ways.
One Reddit post from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic was dumbfounding, showing no fewer than 10 bags of raw jumbo shrimp on a shelf in what appeared to be the baby aisle.
One commenter pointed out that someone may have had a five-finger discount in mind.
"They were going to steal those shrimp," they wrote. "Bring in a baby and carry a diaper bag and load up. Maybe they chickened out or had too many packages."
Someone replied: "Did they chicken out or was their courage too...shrimpy...?"
"Something smells...fishy," another user said.
Others relayed the weight of food waste experiences at their jobs.
"The throwaways in meat are the most frustrating part of working fresh," they wrote. "Nothing like throwing out a $50 piece of beef because someone decided to leave it on a shelf."
It can be similarly wasteful when employees find items that likely haven't been out of the fridge or freezer for more than a few minutes but they have to get rid of them anyway because of food safety procedures.
From temperature gauge problems to inventory mismanagement, shops such as Walmart, other grocers, and convenience stores contribute to the $408 billion worth of food thrown away in the United States each year.
Feeding America says that's equivalent to 130 billion meals and that an astounding 40% of the country's food is wasted while 44 million people, including 13 million children, are hungry.
Companies such as Too Good to Go, Flashfood, and No Waste are working on the problem, but people will have to change their behaviors as well — not the least of which is returning items to the cooler or freezer.
"A decision was made," one commenter said.
Another wrote: "What the f*** is wrong with people???"
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