Desperate People, So Sad

[fall08CP]

Many people are saying the OP should have donated the expired food - the point is, you can't.

As for being sad she was too late, sure, but how many of us haven't found expired food in our pantry? I'm pretty organized, but I know I have.

Why not? I work in the nonprofit sector, and have volunteered several times this year with the local food bank. They do take and distribute expired food. Every type of food has a different "post sell by date" that's acceptable- ie canned veggies might be 12 months, canned meat 18, etc. They are, at least in my state, allowed to distribute expired food if it's still acceptable.

 

[RMAMom]

Yes We Can!

I sure Hope things Change!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

That's what I was going to say. People do things like that even when the economy is good. Don't assume they're desperate.

There are people who dumpster dive as a hobby and others because they are so unbelievably cheap.

Yep. I won't get into specifics on here, but there is a huge community of divers, a lot of whom dive specifically to donate items (not necessarily food). Don't assume that every diver is poor, desperate, or cheap. Don't even assume that every Freegan is desperate or cheap. There are legitimate political and social reasons for being a Freegan (someone who dives for food).

 

[funnygarcia]

Why not? I work in the nonprofit sector, and have volunteered several times this year with the local food bank. They do take and distribute expired food. Every type of food has a different "post sell by date" that's acceptable- ie canned veggies might be 12 months, canned meat 18, etc. They are, at least in my state, allowed to distribute expired food if it's still acceptable.

I think it depends on state regs, I know in MN we have food outlet stores that sell expired and short dated food at major discount prices.

BTW, Excellent place to get produce (cut and freeze) and organic milk.

Target and other grocery stores donate short dated product to a non profit called Fare for All (funded thru Emergency Foodbank). Fare for All then sells it at low cost. I checked out the main warehouse this summer, I'm good at couponing .. the prices were a bit higher than my "buy price". Laughed when I noticed the organic chicken thighs (frozen because it was just past "buy by" date) that I had bought recently at Super Target, their price was more than what I paid. However, it would be a reasonable price for those who don't have the time or skills to bargain/coupon shop.

I know my local food shelf requests no expired foods.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

A lady here was fired for taking a container of 2 day old soup that the convenience store she worked out had thrown in the dumpster. Unemployment upheld the "stealing" charge. How bad is it for you that you wait until you get off work to get a container of soup out of the trash for food (she did claim it was for her dog, but who knows) and then you get fired for stealing?

http://www.radioiowa.com/2011/08/24/court-says-woman-fired-for-taking-soup-cant-get-unemployment/

According to the article, she was fired for violating the company policy stating that employees had to pay for all items before removing them from the property. The issue at stake wasn't that the item was garbage (so technically abandoned property). The issue at stake was that, as an employee, she should have paid for that item (garbage or not) before removing it from the property.

Diving is technically trespassing (or not, according to my cop friend who is also a diver...I still think that it technically is), but you can't steal abandoned property. She was, however, "stealing" from her employer according to their company policy. As stated above, companies have this policy in place to prevent employees from stashing items in the dumpster to retrieve later.

 

[leahjade]

Be careful - in our neighborhood police warned us that people were going through trash looking for personal information that can be used for credit card fraud. Be sure to shred all documents!!

 

[blondietink]

Be careful - in our neighborhood police warned us that people were going through trash looking for personal information that can be used for credit card fraud. Be sure to shred all documents!!

Not to worry here .... we burn all of our important business mail. Glad we live out in the country and we can still burn garbage. In the winter, we burn it in our wood stove.

 

[bedogged]

yup...around here all the stores toss it too. They don't know if it's been tained with so will not chance putting it on the shelves.

A large local grocery store chain used to donate their old bread to a homeless shelter. Someone ended up with a piece of bread with mold on it. They sued and got a cash settlement. Now all the old bread goes into the trash.

 

[kpm76]

I feel very sad when I see or hear of food going to waste. So I will use my own judgment rather than throw things away on their expiration dates.

Once in awhile I have come into possession of food items "I don't like" and after careful inspection, brought unopened items into a store and put them "back" on the shelves for resale.

WHAT???? That's unreal I hate to waste food too, but the safety of my family is far more important to me. I just don't take chances with food that is questionable. I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that you put food on store shelves. Do you "donate" it to the store (i.e. put it on a shelf when nobody is looking?) or do you return it and get a refund?