What a CM told me - is this true?

[luvmarypoppins]

We were talking to our server at Crystal Palace and he was saying that they throw all the food out after each meal if even a spoon is put into it etc. This is for the buffets. He said they used to donate it to charities but they dont anymore because the disney lawyers had issues with stuff like temperature control, transportation etc. He said sometimes the farmers by the leftovers for their livestock. I told the cm I just felt bad that all that food was going to waste and could be helping so many people etc. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[puffkin]

I don't know if that is true or not, but it sounds about right due to the type of society we live in today where people sue for everything.

 

[LIFERBABE]

From what I have heard, it is very true.

We have had situations occur like that in our community. If Disney donates the food and someone gets sick, they could be held liable.

I know at our schools, we cannot send homemade items, they have to be store bought so along the same lines.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Every item of food that is put out on a buffet must be discarded, even if it is untouched by human hands. This is a sanitation issue. All food at Disney, from Buffet's and full service restaurants is placed in a food bin. When available, the food is taken to a pig farm and fed to hogs. When not available the food is mixed in with the solid waste.

In the past Disney donated the food to charities, but the temperature issue prevents them from doing this any longer. Food must be kept at certain temperatures to prevent bacteria from forming. The time it took to transport the food to the shelters prevented the food from being kept in the "safe zone" and thus it became clear that this was no longer feasible.

Kind of sad, but a reality. Disney is a "safety first" company.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

"they dont anymore because the disney lawyers had issues with stuff like temperature control, transportation etc"

You answered your own question there, legally if anything happened it would be a nightmare for Disney....so discard the food...think of all the homeless people that food could feed..

 

[TammyJ]

Not only could Disney face legal issues, many places would never except such donations due to the possibility it could make someone sick. I worked at a major chain restaurant in a small city and we were able to donate our food to a local shelter because we could assure them it went straight from buffet to fridge. They transported the food themselves and were only a few minutes from the restaurant. But other places would not except the donation.

Pig farms are a great alternative. I worked at a grocery store and the bruised produce, etc was picked up by a local farmer. It was a benefit to all.

 

[PrincessAurora]

I use to work in a restaurant and know this is true. What is REALLY sad is that it is OK to toss perfectly good food because they don't want people to get sick but then homeless people (who are HUNGRY) will go through the TRASH to get the food that was thrown out. Now, I think that is FAR more dangerous.

It's just sad that our society is so sue happy that people are prevented from performing the most basic of kind acts because some people look at this like a lotto ticket.

 

[Fast Pass]

My brother works at a University that host food shows and you should see the tons and tons of fresh food and meat that the food shows throw out. It is really sickening to see all the wonderful food being thrown in a dumpster. They even have people watch the food so no one can take any.

 

[Lewisc]

Exactly. Don't blame the lawyers. Companies that donate food have to make sure it's properly stored. Just because people are poor doesn't mean they should be served food that hasn't been properly refrigerated. People getting donated food aren't expecting to also get a dose of food poisoning.

Not only could Disney face legal issues, many places would never except such donations due to the possibility it could make someone sick. I worked at a major chain restaurant in a small city and we were able to donate our food to a local shelter because we could assure them it went straight from buffet to fridge. They transported the food themselves and were only a few minutes from the restaurant. But other places would not except the donation.

Pig farms are a great alternative. I worked at a grocery store and the bruised produce, etc was picked up by a local farmer. It was a benefit to all.

 

[Danthesand]

Don't blame the lawyers.

Oh, really?

http://www.overlawyered.com/

 

[Lewisc]

Oh, really?

http://www.overlawyered.com/

I only glanced at the link you posted. Please list the example that had a company being sued for donating properly refrigerated food. From reading the OP it sounds like the lawyers had a problem with the food not being handled properly. Disney decided to discard the food rather than properly refrigerate the leftover food.

 

[kelleigh1]

I love how people always blame lawyers for being "sue happy". Reputable lawyers don't chase ambulances. Clients go to them looking for someone to represent them and you'll find that if the suit is worthless, the lawyer will usually try to convince the client that it is frivolous...but more times than not, the client insists that they go forward. It's not the lawyers bringing all these frivolous lawsuits. It's clients who think the world owes them something.

As for Disney discarding the food instead of donating it...that makes perfect sense. It's been sitting on a buffet table for extended periods of time and then you think they should refrigerate it to bring to a shelter? That's just not safe. My husband worked in a grocery store for years and every associate took a course called Serv-safe which taught them about proper temperatures and serving conditions for food. If they didn't reach those guidelines, the food couldn't be sold, served or donated. It's about protecting people.

 

[bomzar]

We were talking to our server at Crystal Palace and he was saying that they throw all the food out after each meal if even a spoon is put into it etc. This is for the buffets. He said they used to donate it to charities but they dont anymore because the disney lawyers had issues with stuff like temperature control, transportation etc. He said sometimes the farmers by the leftovers for their livestock. I told the cm I just felt bad that all that food was going to waste and could be helping so many people etc. Anyone know if this is true?

Mostly true.

Any food that has been put out on the buffet HAS to be thrown out due to health codes. That food can not be reused in any way, shape, or form. If we reused that food, that would be the same as if you went out to eat, didn't touch the bread service, so the waiter just gave it to the next table.
Certain food items are still donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Items like the mashed potatoes, rotisserie chicken, spoonbread. These items are immediately chilled according to HACCP guidlines and stored in the freezer until the food bank picks them up. And again, these are items that haven't been out on the buffet. What all buffets try to do is have as little leftovers as possible (cook less, more often). You're always going to have some waste, but we try to minimize it.

 

[DisFlan]

Our state (MO) as well as most states mandate, by law, that all food that leaves the kitchen must be discarded. There may be exclusions for certain items for charities like Second Harvest, but it holds true for everything else. If it weren't the law, shady places would probably resell uneaten food items. Or the food could be altered in some way after leaving the kitchen. Others have already mentioned the issues with safe storage.

Wasting all that food IS a shame, but not dumping it could be dangerous, too. When my plate is brought out or filled at a restaurant, I feel better knowing I'm the only person that food has been served to.

DisFlan

 

[pedro2112]

I only glanced at the link you posted. Please list the example that had a company being sued for donating properly refrigerated food.

There isn't an example of that, because it doesn't happen. As has clearly been shown, the reason Disney discards it's extra food is a sanitary issue and has nothing to do with frivilous lawsuits.

 

[snowbunny]

I love how people always blame lawyers for being "sue happy". Reputable lawyers don't chase ambulances. Clients go to them looking for someone to represent them and you'll find that if the suit is worthless, the lawyer will usually try to convince the client that it is frivolous...but more times than not, the client insists that they go forward. It's not the lawyers bringing all these frivolous lawsuits. It's clients who think the world owes them something.

As for Disney discarding the food instead of donating it...that makes perfect sense. It's been sitting on a buffet table for extended periods of time and then you think they should refrigerate it to bring to a shelter? That's just not safe. My husband worked in a grocery store for years and every associate took a course called Serv-safe which taught them about proper temperatures and serving conditions for food. If they didn't reach those guidelines, the food couldn't be sold, served or donated. It's about protecting people.

 

[crisi]

It would not be good to be living on the edge and end up with food poisoning. Starvation is bad, but illness can be as bad.

 

[Jules74]

My mom, Stepdad, and I visited Whispering Canyon on Friday evening. My Stepdad was the only one who got the skillet. After the first one, he asked for more pork. Well..they brought him an entire new skillet full. He couldn't eat it but was worried about it going to waste. My mom and I had to-go boxes (we had meatloaf) but didn't want to put the skillet food in there without asking first. So we asked our server who said he could bring a to-go box but we would be charged. I stated that we would pay, we just didn't want to see all that food going to waste. He then said that all of the leftovers are sent to the Animal Kingdom to feed the animals. We never even considered they did that with it but what an awesome option!!

 

[OrlandoMike]

I think the server may have been pulling your leg on the Animal Kingdom story.

The animals at the DAK are treated like royalty, and I just cant see Disney taking the chance feeding them "leftovers" from the restaurants.

Quite frankly, some of the food prep areas for the animals at DAK are cleaner than some of the kitchens in the restaurants.

Some of the food does go to a hog farm, but I'm pretty sure none of it goes to DAK.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Where I worked, they would always let the employees take whatever they wanted before they threw anything away.