If they started donating food a lot of people would just go and get the food donations, which would decrease the supermarkets sales and, if bad enough, force them out of business.
Unfortunately they can't do that without damaging their business.
Actually, they can. In Belgium they sell it for a minimum amount of 1eur or something (that way they keep their right to deduct VAT) to special shops for the poor and homeless (giving the foods away almost for free)
John Oliver did a really cool segment about this topic, you should check it out!
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· 9 years ago
Yeah, most supermarkets would donate it but they could get sued if someone gets sick from it (chances are low) but they don't want to risk it
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· 9 years ago
I have worked at walmart in the past in the produce and deli department. The deli would throw away 50-100 lbs (22-45 kg) of food every day. I would try to give away as much as I could, e.g. giving 5 lbs of chicken strips for the price of 1lb. But there was still so much. The produce department's throw aways were actually repurposed to be compost but that was typically 800-1200 lbs (360-545 kg) worth if fruit and vegetables, however 98% of this was either starting to rot or completely rotten.
Compost and fertilizer was my first thought for rotten stuff.
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· 9 years ago
The worst part is most of its not rotten. They have to get rid of most stuff by the "sell by date" but that is not the actual expiration date
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· 9 years ago
That may be the case but not in my department. Everything I chucked was gross. I would try to keep things on the shelf for as long as I could without getting caught and written up
It has to do with several factors:
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Liability. Often times, food that could be donated is nearing the end of the shelf life and spoilage is a real concern. Markets often won't donate out of concerns for the repercussions for making someone sick.
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Acceptability. Even in cases where there are samaritan protections in place, food banks often won't accept them because of usability. If the food can't be used in a timely manner or can't be frozen, they won't take it.
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Logistical responsibility. Sometimes it is a simple case of the existence of a food bank willing and able to make the pickup. If a responsible food bank wants the donations they need to be able to make regular, timely pickups. If they can't, the market will dispose of the food. They aren't a storage warehouse for food banks.
Fun Fact!
There is an organization based in the u.s., but operates worldwide, called Food Not Bombs. They use food that would be otherwise discarded by stores and restaurants (so it doesn't affect the sales of the business in any way, shape, or form). They obtain the food with permission from the business they work with. They use food that is not bad or rotted, simply past its sell-by date, and provide a FREE meal to the community in which the Food Not Bombs chapter is working with. Look them up online. Just Google "food not bombs" and see of they have a local chapter in your area!
Unfortunately they can't do that without damaging their business.
.
Liability. Often times, food that could be donated is nearing the end of the shelf life and spoilage is a real concern. Markets often won't donate out of concerns for the repercussions for making someone sick.
.
Acceptability. Even in cases where there are samaritan protections in place, food banks often won't accept them because of usability. If the food can't be used in a timely manner or can't be frozen, they won't take it.
.
Logistical responsibility. Sometimes it is a simple case of the existence of a food bank willing and able to make the pickup. If a responsible food bank wants the donations they need to be able to make regular, timely pickups. If they can't, the market will dispose of the food. They aren't a storage warehouse for food banks.
There is an organization based in the u.s., but operates worldwide, called Food Not Bombs. They use food that would be otherwise discarded by stores and restaurants (so it doesn't affect the sales of the business in any way, shape, or form). They obtain the food with permission from the business they work with. They use food that is not bad or rotted, simply past its sell-by date, and provide a FREE meal to the community in which the Food Not Bombs chapter is working with. Look them up online. Just Google "food not bombs" and see of they have a local chapter in your area!