The Big Waste

[williamson_ja]

I don't know if anyone watched this show. It's on Food network and the idea is that two teams take food from grocery stores, farms, markets, etc. that would have been thrown out (or has already been thrown out) and make gourmet meals from it. The two teams compete to see who makes the better meal.
My question is this. Is it legal for regular people to do this? I would think that if you (as a lay person) went to the grocery store and asked for the produce that they were throwing out, they wouldn't do it because there would be some rules against it. Any thoughts or anyone know if this is really legal for a regular person.
If you didn't see the show, the food looked fantastic. Much of what would have been thrown away could have easily been used.

 

[sissy_ib]

I don't know if anyone watched this show. It's on Food network and the idea is that two teams take food from grocery stores, farms, markets, etc. that would have been thrown out (or has already been thrown out) and make gourmet meals from it. The two teams compete to see who makes the better meal.
My question is this. Is it legal for regular people to do this? I would think that if you (as a lay person) went to the grocery store and asked for the produce that they were throwing out, they wouldn't do it because there would be some rules against it. Any thoughts or anyone know if this is really legal for a regular person.
If you didn't see the show, the food looked fantastic. Much of what would have been thrown away could have easily been used.

I have not seen the show but no you can not be given food taken off the shelves. It is inventoried for loss for taxes and sent back or put in the dumpsters. To give away something that was supposed to be destroyed ( thrown out) is the same as stealing. And to take the food out of dumpster or trash cans is also illegal.

 

[pklein09]

And shows like this are just one reason I cut cable.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Our local grocery store gives day old produce and baked goods to food pantries/churches to distribute to the needy.

I'd imagine the stores take it as a tax right off and it would not be given to just the average person walking through the door.

 

[scrapquitler]

Our local grocery store gives day old produce and baked goods to food pantries/churches to distribute to the needy.

I'd imagine the stores take it as a tax right off and it would not be given to just the average person walking through the door.

Same here. Most of the stores/restaurants in the area donate things to the local food pantry/soup kitchens for the tax write off and to avoid large scale waste.

 

[LauraR]

I have not seen the show but no you can not be given food taken off the shelves. It is inventoried for loss for taxes and sent back or put in the dumpsters. To give away something that was supposed to be destroyed ( thrown out) is the same as stealing. And to take the food out of dumpster or trash cans is also illegal.

I don't think taking food out of dumpsters or trash cans is necessarily illegal. You might be guilty of trespassing, depending on where they are located, but I think the items themselves are considered abandoned property.

 

[Mom&RN]

My ex-brother in law is a farmer and he gets all the produce and baked goods from the local grocery store that they are going to "throw away" to feed to his pigs. Truth be told when my sister was still married to him they used to sort through the produce first and would often eat things themselves (especially things such as artichokes!!).

 

[williamson_ja]

I'm glad to hear that many stores give some of this stuff to local charities. I thought that might be the case. It was just heartbreaking to see so much stuff thrown out that people in need might be able to use.

 

[prncess674]

A friend worked at a local fast food establishment when we were in high school and while they couldn't officially give away the cooked food at the end of the night to the homeless they did bag up all the trash and then a separate bag of cooked food (and only food) was the last bag on top of the trash. The homeless would wait in the wings for that magic bag to hit the top.

 

[ers26]

There is a great documentary on this topic called "Dive!" I just watched the film on Netflix last week and it is all about the "eat trash campaign to end food waste ". It is a very interesting film and I would highly recommend it.

There is also a web site if anyone is interested. Just navigate your browser to divethefilm dot com.

Cheers!

 

[Karalea]

And shows like this are just one reason I cut cable.

The whole point of the show is to bring attention to how many tons of usable/consumable food is wasted each year in this country and not used to feed the hungry. I believe a farmer was quoted as saying up to 40% of his crop isn't perfect and therefore can't be sold in stores. It is a way of bringing attention to the Share our Strength campaign that Food Network has been prompting for several years to help end childhood hunger.