Do grocery stores throw out unopened returned food?

[LisaR]

I am sick so I sent DH to the grocery story yesterday. He did good with one exception. I wanted him to pick up a few jars of pasta sauce for a quick meal this week and he picked the jars that were almost $6 each!

Today he returned them to Walmart. He said they were very nice at the return counter but two different employees told him the jars will go into the trash.

They claim that ALL food that is returned is thrown out. No exceptions. I find this incredibly hard to believe. They claim it is the law. If this was really the case, why wouldn't they put it aside for a food bank?

 

[AftertheSunset]

I am sick so I sent DH to the grocery story yesterday. He did good with one exception. I wanted him to pick up a few jars of pasta sauce for a quick meal this week and he picked the jars that were almost $6 each!

Today he returned them to Walmart. He said they were very nice at the return counter but two different employees told him the jars will go into the trash.

They claim that ALL food that is returned is thrown out. No exceptions. I find this incredibly hard to believe. They claim it is the law. If this was really the case, why wouldn't they put it aside for a food bank?

It IS the law, from what I've heard.

If someone purchased food, tampered with it, then returned it, would YOU want to eat it? Probably not.

There was a lady in front of me at Wal Mart, returning 4 large cans of Enfamil. The employee from Wal Mart was almost heart broken that she had to throw them all away, but she explained to me that "it's the law".

I've known about this law for quite awhile and if there's a food item I'm even tempted to return, I'll just donate it instead. I don't need the $$ that badly and I'd rather it go to use than for the store to throw it away.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They claim that ALL food that is returned is thrown out. No exceptions. I find this incredibly hard to believe. They claim it is the law. If this was really the case, why wouldn't they put it aside for a food bank?

Insurance coverage. If people at the food bank get sick, they can sue the store for negligence if they are food liable.

The food could have been tampered with.

Stinks, doesn't it?

 

[JMD]

I never realized you could return food.

 

[tennisfan]

In the UK, food can returned sealed & unopened & it will be resold. With the exception of fresh & frozen food.

Also we can't return baby formula, in extreme circumstances a customer maybe able to swap it for another product but the formula gets thrown away.

 

[LisaR]

It IS the law, from what I've heard.

If someone purchased food, tampered with it, then returned it, would YOU want to eat it? Probably not.

There was a lady in front of me at Wal Mart, returning 4 large cans of Enfamil. The employee from Wal Mart was almost heart broken that she had to throw them all away, but she explained to me that "it's the law".

I've known about this law for quite awhile and if there's a food item I'm even tempted to return, I'll just donate it instead. I don't need the $$ that badly and I'd rather it go to use than for the store to throw it away.

Well of course I wouldn't want to eat tampered food. That goes without saying. However, the seal on the jar of pasta sauce was not broken. It would be very obvious if the sauce had been opened because the lid would have popped. I wouldn't have any problem eating from those jars if they were put back on the shelf.

This is the first time in my life that I can recall returning food so it was certainly news to me.

 

[KAMLEM]

They claim that ALL food that is returned is thrown out. No exceptions. I find this incredibly hard to believe. They claim it is the law. If this was really the case, why wouldn't they put it aside for a food bank?

The reason they don't resell it is because of the risk, they are not going to take that same risk by donating it.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I returned a new bottle of lotion to Bath & Body Works once and they told me that they throw away all items that are returned because they could have been tampered with. What a waste.

 

[LisaR]

I returned a new bottle of lotion to Bath & Body Works once and they told me that they throw away all items that are returned because they could have been tampered with. What a waste.

This is one of those "you learn something new everyday" moments for me. I honestly never knew this. DH did return the sauce because he thought they were misinformed but now we both feel guilty. What an absolute waste of food.

 

[Lanshark]

I had no idea. I've only returned food items a couple of times. Each time they were meat items that smelled bad. Imagine how much Sams and Costco throw away.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Well of course I wouldn't want to eat tampered food. That goes without saying. However, the seal on the jar of pasta sauce was not broken. It would be very obvious if the sauce had been opened because the lid would have popped. I wouldn't have any problem eating from those jars if they were put back on the shelf.

This is the first time in my life that I can recall returning food so it was certainly news to me.

the "POP" type seal could be re-sealed with simple canning procedures. that is why they also use the imprinted plastic seal which takes a bit more to forge/duplicate or the lid that cracks off at the bottom.

Mikeeee

 

[AristocatFan]

It's an even bigger waste in our schools. Once a food item is served to a student it can not be reserved. If the student doesn't want it, never opens it, it's still like new and good, doesn't matter what it is, it has to be thrown away. They won't even let another student eat it because everyone is only to have one of each item.

At least that's how it is in our elementary schools.

 

[kellyg403]

It IS the law, from what I've heard.

If someone purchased food, tampered with it, then returned it, would YOU want to eat it? Probably not.

There was a lady in front of me at Wal Mart, returning 4 large cans of Enfamil. The employee from Wal Mart was almost heart broken that she had to throw them all away, but she explained to me that "it's the law".

I've known about this law for quite awhile and if there's a food item I'm even tempted to return, I'll just donate it instead. I don't need the $$ that badly and I'd rather it go to use than for the store to throw it away.

It is against the law to return baby formula to the shelf. Unopened, sealed food stuffs that are not perishable may be returned to the shelf. We no longer send things to the food bank as the liability issue has come up in another state. If the grocery store is a chain, in several different states, they usually will abide uniformly to the strictest rule. If say in GA you must card everyone looking under 50, all stores regardless of their state policy will be given that policy to abide by. I am assuming (and you know what that means) it is easier for the company as a whole to have one set policy across the board.

Kelly

 

[npmommie]

OT, but I didn't realize walmart sold pasta sauce that cost nearly $6
what brand?
I don't think I have every paid that much even at a store like Whole Foods!

 

[pezheadmeg]

I just think back to the Tylenol murders in the 1980's. Enough said.

I could see the liability issue, there are some sick people out there.

 

[TaraPA]

Totally off topic here but I work at Yankee Candle - anything returned that is unused goes back on the shelf to sell - if it has been burned/used we as employees can purchase it for 75% off, or else it goes in the trash! We have to destroy our box of "damages" before we take them out to the dumpster - because people have been known to dumpster dive for Yankee products that were returned & then thrown out!

 

[Aimeedyan]

When I worked at B&BW, they had just started the throwing away of anything returned. What a waste! Some of it was obviously never opened but it didn't matter.

We, too, had to destroy it all before throwing it away. I had to literally squeeze the lotion into the trash and mark all over the bottle in Sharpie since people would dumpster dive.

No wonder their prices are so high!!

 

[djm99]

Not all stores do. About a month or so ago, I read a story about a women who accidently returned a box of crackers. Well, those crackers were put on the shelf and sold to a family. That family (a couple of weeks later) went to their cupboard and got those crackers, opened them, and to their surprise found $10,000 in that box. What does that woman do? She returned them to the store.
http://www.bloggernews.net/119181

 

[VickiVM]

I know for sure unopened perishable food gets thrown out - don't know about a jar of say sauce where the lid is still intact.

My husband works at a grocery store doing cooking demo's and yesterday he was given 24 advocados to work with because they were on their way out. Unfortunately the products he was working with yesterday didn't call for advocados so he had to throw all of them out...couln't give them away, let employees take them, donate them...nada. Breaks my heart how much food is wasted.

He did say that a lot of the produce that has not spoiled, but is not 'fresh' by the consumers standard does get donated to the local zoo. Guess zoo animals don't eat guacamole??

 

[minniebeth]

OT, but I didn't realize walmart sold pasta sauce that cost nearly $6
what brand?
I don't think I have every paid that much even at a store like Whole Foods!

There is a brand of jar pasta sauce called Victoria that I love and it is about $4 per jar not on sale in NJ where I am orig. from.
I found it in a grocery store here in Ohio but it was $8 a jar!
Needless to say, they didn't carry it too long, I can't imagine many people buying it for that price!

Sorry to go OT,
so back on track, it makes sense that stores need to throw returned food away, but it is something I guess I never thought about.
Another reason for growing food prices!