Should it be illegal for supermarkets to throw away food?

[greentea]

I was reading that it has now become illegal for supermarkets to throw away good food in Frnance. Here is an article: http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...-waste/394481/

Should this also be the case in the US. There are so many people who go hungry, wouldn't it be a service if the food is still good not to throw it away?

[Goldy]

Makes sense to me. There is a store in my town that sells food that stores can't sell due to damaged packaging or near the expiry date. There is always a steady supply of good cheap food there including good produce (mostly 2nds).

[Thrif-t]

Yes I think it's terrible that they do. My grocery store used to put out produce that was past its prime and really mark it down. I would go and stock up on produce and bring it all home and cook it up or freeze it. They no longer do that cause they want to promote a more upscale feel. I miss getting an 8 oz container of mushrooms for $0.59. Now I guess they just throw it all away. They have to worry about law suits or food poisonings if they try to give it away.

[richard johnson]

Fantastic work from France. We could learn a lot from this.

[bjl584]

I've worked in the grocery retail field. Many retailers would love to donate soon to expire food to local food banks.

Why don't they?.......... because they aren't allowed to. Giving away old food opens up the door to potential lawsuits. If someone could prove that they got sick due to eating expired food, they could potentially sue the retailer. It's far better and safer to just throw it into a landfill.

[disneysteve]

I've worked in the grocery retail field. Many retailers would love to donate soon to expire food to local food banks.

Why don't they?.......... because they aren't allowed to. Giving away old food opens up the door to potential lawsuits.

Yep. The lawyers caused this problem.

To be fair, though, the manufacturers cause it too. "Expiration" dates on food packages are almost entirely meaningless. Most non-perishable food items are perfectly good for years or even decades after their "expiration" dates. Canned food has been shown to be safe and maintain it's taste for decades. One analysis tested food canned 100 years earlier and found it to be perfectly fine to eat.

The US wastes 40% of its food supply! At the same time, 17% of Americans lack a secure food supply. That's insane. We're filling our landfills with $165 Billion worth of food each year at the same time our neighbors are starving. Surely America can do better.

[disneysteve]

On a related topic, our society also destroys billions in clothing that could be given away or sold. My wife used to be the receiving manager for a sporting goods big box store and she would tell me stories of them having to destroy everything that got returned. Even if it was in perfect condition, they weren't allowed to put it out for sale again. They would use a box cutter to slash fabric, spray paint to deface other items, and then into the dumpster they went.

Kohls just announced that they are opening an experimental outlet store in my town (the first in the country) that will sell customer returns. Supposedly they will sell at 70-90% off original price. I'm very curious to see how that works and if the concept catches on.

The problem, as Thrif-t mentioned, is that the companies see it as weakening the prestige of their brand. They don't want people going to the outlet store rather than coming to the regular full price store.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

More than thirty years ago my state passed a law protecting stores, restaurants, bakeries and other food sellers & preparers from liability for donated food. The food banks usually won't accept donated fresh foods or package damaged items from donors like that, but small charities who serve meals on site do. Bruised fruit trimmed for a fruit salad, boxcutter slit boxes of oats, and leaking jugs milk will all be served within hours of donation. Trays of lasagna from caterers; bread, rolls and doughnuts from bakeries; even pans of vegetables from small cafeterias are all donated and served by small charities. Small farmers at farmers' markets may donate fresh food at the end of the day. Arrangements like this usually come not out of company policy on the part of any large chains, but from managers or owners who also object to the waste and are willing to pay their employees for the time it takes to set aside unsellable yet useable food. Even setting aside the space takes a certain amount of sacrifice on the part of the business. Business often provide or loan the containers needed to transport and refrigerate such food. Some will use their own trucks and employees to deliver the food directly.

[disneysteve]

Our synagogue regularly donates unused food to a local woman's shelter. After any event, unused food gets packaged up and dropped off at the shelter.