One grocery store worker is frustrated with their employer for wasting multiple dumpsters full of good food.
In recent years, many businesses have become aware of the issue of food waste and have implemented policies to prevent it.
For instance, PizzaPlex in Detroit has a constantly evolving menu to make the best use of its ingredients before they go bad. At other locations, employees step in to minimize waste by giving extra food to customers.
Unfortunately, not every business gets the picture, and some have policies against donating food even when it's about to become unsellable. That seems to be the case with this Redditor's store, where they say they were recently forced to throw out hundreds of frozen meals.
"Perfectly safe food our manager told us to throw out," they say in the title, sharing a photo of two dumpsters loaded to the brim with brightly-colored boxes. The post appears on the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, where waste is a common theme.
Commenters share the original poster's frustration.
"Such a shame," says one user. "Food banks need this."
Another commenter shares their own experience: "I worked in a supermarket for a while; the same thing happened and loads of stuff was just starting to defrost. I knew a few places that could take and use most of it that day, but my boss said the insurance company wouldn't allow it."
Thankfully, there are ways for individual customers to cut down on waste, save money, and protect the environment from pollution caused by shipping in more food.
Apps like Too Good To Go connect buyers with businesses whose food is close to its sell-by date so it can be eaten quickly. Salvage markets sell food that's out of date or has damaged packaging but is still safe to eat. And for situations like this one, where perfectly good food is going in the trash, some advocate for dumpster diving.
That's a solution that's already on some commenters' minds. "Hey, free frozen pizza," says one user. "Send me the address."
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