 A new documentary about food waste could dampen grocery chain Trader Joe’s crunchy image. "Dive" illustrates the waste of wholesome food by following a group of “Dumpster divers,” people who mine trash bins for usable products. In the film, the divers are not homeless or even particularly poor; they just don't like to see good food go to waste, and they like to get stuff for free. “In the United States, even our trash cans are filled with food; you just have to go get it,” director Jeremy Seifert says during the film’s opening sequence. The “freegan” divers – Seifert, his wife, Jennifer, and a bunch of their friends – discover large quantities of fresh meat, vegetables and fruit in bins behind a couple of Trader Joe’s stores in the Los Angeles area. Seifert is appalled that so much food that is not spoiled and not past its freshness date is being discarded. “In our consumerism we‘ve become wasteful,” he told CNN. “And I try to bring it back on us because of the food waste in the home.” A typical household of two adults and two children loses $600 in food per year through spoilage and mishandling, University of Arizona professor Timothy Jones estimates. Still, “I don’t get mad at people when they don’t think about food waste, because I didn’t think about food waste,” said Seifert, 34, who holds a master’s degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. “I didn’t think about food waste until I started eating trash.” That began when some friends brought food they had pulled from a bin behind a store. “Half of it was inedible and half of it was amazing,” he said. “Dive” is Seifert’s first film. The 53-minute documentary cost $200 and innumerable hours to make as he taught himself how to edit video, he said. Gaps in the video storytelling are filled in with animated graphics and long stretches of archival stock footage. It has won awards at 21 film festivals and was released July 19th on DVD and through Netflix and iTunes. Seifert said egregious waste occurs at most grocery stores, but Trader Joe’s bins simply were more accessible. Some food gets donated to food banks, but not nearly enough, he said. “Trader Joe’s are doing a pretty damn good job, and doing a lot better job than a lot of other stores,” he said. “This is like a family quarrel. I like Trader Joe’s. I shop there. I Dumpster dive there. And I want them to do better. So I’m not really trying to go after them or harshly criticize them, I just want them to do better.” Seifert has started a petition on Change.org demanding that Trader Joe’s make zero waste a part of its corporate identity. The petition, which had garnered nearly 77,000 signatures by Tuesday morning, is unnecessary, said Matt Sloan, Trader Joe’s vice president of marketing. The company works with each of its more than 250 stores to arrange with local food banks and other charities for daily pickups of food the stores don’t plan to sell or aren’t able to sell, Sloan said. The program isn’t perfectly executed, but there is a program, and it’s not optional, he said. “In 2010, Trader Joe's donated more than 25 million pounds of food – that's equal to almost 656 truckloads of food or 20 million meals,” the privately owned chain’s website says. “Trader Joe's long-running policy is to donate products that are not fit for sale but are safe for consumption,” it goes on. “Each store has a designated Donation Coordinator, whose responsibilities include working with local food banks, food pantries, and/or soup kitchens in their communities to facilitate donations, seven days a week. “We continuously strive to improve our processes in our efforts to reduce food waste and provide hunger relief.” Even so, the chain has no national donation agreement with Feeding America, the network to which most food banks belong, said Feeding America spokesman Ross Fraser. “Nearly every other retailer has a donation arrangement with us - Wal-mart, Sam’s, Kroger, Target, Food Lion, and just about any other grocery chain you can think of,” Fraser added. Feeding America rescues nearly half a billion pounds of fresh food yearly, and most of that comes from Wal-mart, Fraser said. Given Trader Joe’s carefully cultivated progressive image, many customers are pained to learn of waste at any Trader Joe’s store. “They have such an earthy feel, they feel so funky, and I would think they would want to do something more about it,” Deborah Buczarski told CNN. “Now when I go in there and I see them pulling all this stuff off the shelves, I know what they’re doing with it,” she said. Buczarski, a librarian in Santa Ana, California, said Trader Joe’s may have a policy, but it needs to make sure whoever is responsible for coordinating a store’s food donations actually has the time and resources to do it. “The change would have to come down from the top. Allow them some time to do this, some leeway,” she said. “Trader Joe's is my favorite store so I really hope you will step up to this important task,” petition signer Cheri Acita wrote on Change.org. “PLEASE help fight hunger and stop your waste of food. It is very sad to know about this because I love all you stand for.” In 2010, about 5.7 million people came to food banks seeking help, Feeding America’s Fraser said. “We need every morsel of food we can get at this point,” Fraser said. “It’s very common that we simply run out of food before everyone standing in line gets what they need.” He acknowledged that individual Trader Joe’s stores regularly donate to local food banks, but Feeding America would prefer a nationwide plan. “If they’d like to work with us, we’d be delighted to work with them,” he said. “It’s about more than not wasting food,” Seifert says in the film. “It’s about making sure everyone has enough to eat.” |
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Haven't done this yet, due to living in country (rural area) yet; but now plan to when I get the little truck planning to buy with tax refund check. I am on a very fixed income "SSDI", and wife just got a job after being fully unemployed 2 yrs.
May try to buy a/some hog/s, to eat what we can’t, them eat it/them.
My mother used to buy boxes of distressed veggies for $5. It's the only way we could afford to eat, and the grocery guys loved not having to throw good (but unmarketable) food away. With big liability actions becoming more common, many big grocery chains require their produce people to put distressed stuff down the garburator.
Garburator-What a great word! I love it!
i am eating a dumpster buger sanwich!lol!
Our Trader Joe's in Lincoln, NE tried to work with the local food bank but, they were very picky and rejectedmany items like meat that had a close expiration date and they complained a lot, making it a headache to donate to them. Now our TJ's donates to a local organization called Foodnet. There are always 2 sides to a story.
I'd say here in California, that we are so gun shy from people suing at the drop of a hat that we over regulate everything. The biggest fear being someone will say Oh I got this from TJ's or Vons... Most stores in my area donate to the homeless. The problems I have seen arent from the stores, its from the local law enforcement that shut down the "Divers" attempts at making free meals from this stuff for those that need it. Its happened in San Fran and In Fla. and Frankly if these people want to scavange and do good for those who need it. Why Not? Of course they need to be thoughtful in checking the quality of the product for safe consumption.Homeless or not no one deserves a stomache ache.
I realize that many folks are stuck in a US only mindset, but this is indeed a world wide problem. I invite you to watch the documentary short film "chicken a la cart" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an8qmTac8qk This film, though not made in the US might just open your eyes a little to food waste, edible food donations, and the impact on "the homeless" and needy. I believe the film could have been made in the US too.
Glorified bums.
I reread this article and find that it is missing pertinent information......
1. Do we have to bring our own springboard to gain access to said dumpster and will there be judges to give points scores for form and artistic style?
2. What type of attire should we be wearing--a full spandex suit,a speedo,au natural?
Dumpster-diving for free food only sounds like a good idea to people who have never been hospitalized with food poisoning.
That sounds like a reason not to eat out at restaurants. When one dumpster dives, one can cook the food oneself and be confident that no bacteria survives.
The obvious choice missing from the choices is "God help me, only if I have to feed my children . . . " not very realistic if it doesn't include that, considering the spectacle your elected representatives are putting on and the jeopardy you're in – remember that place called China? Many still remember the dust bowl days, and those who don't are doomed to something, um . . . what was it again?
They just said they donated 25 million pounds of food in 2010. Give it a rest, jeez.
people don't realize that it is the customers who respond to the impression of a fully stocked grocery store. the food is not made to be consumed, it is made to make the displays look as full as possible. my bakery throws out hundreds of dollars wroth of product a day over this.
we also donate our food, but even that in and of itself is annoying – the person we give it to shows up late, causing the food to sit there and attract flies. She then selectively picks and chooses what she wants and often leaves garbage outside our store, making us look bad.
the fact that trader joe has a company-wide arrangement makes thier argument sound a little stupid honestly. i get their point, but clearly trader joes is doing what they can. just because you jumped into a garbage dump and found the food acceptable does not mean everyone does.
once again, let me reiterate – it is the customer who ends up buying more food when they see a stocked shelf. i get yelled at when i decide to make less product. selling out is viewed as a bad thing, as crazy as that sounds.
I'm not a huge fan of TJ's, but this is really unfair to them. If you want to see waste, look at what Costco allows to wilt and fall to ruin INSIDE their stores, much less what gets spoiled in the dumpster. Costco will get a huge shipment of living plants, keep them on the floor unwatered until they are unsalable, then dump them. A lot of their produce is going off while it's still on the selling floor. You can't dumpster dive there because they keep their stuff hidden. At least TJ's tries to work with food banks. The food banks where I live are so persnickety that they turn up their noses on useful food. You need to tell the whole story, not one tiny slice of it strung together with stock footage. Lazy!
the quote"He acknowledged that individual Trader Joe’s stores regularly donate to local food banks, but Feeding America would prefer a nationwide plan." only points out how tied to a centralized process some groups are. Often for no better reason than to maintain funding for the 'program' or charity. Such as the head of Feeding America Vicki Escarra : (from the BBB)
Head of the Salvation Army and his wife earn $64K That is the difference between a charitable org. and one which busy keeping a cushy job
Chief Executive : Vicki B. Escarra, President and CEO
Compensation*:
$435,475
Please tell me you are making that data up (and unfortunately, I know you aren't). I briefly worked at a minority non-profit from 1999-2001 and the waste I saw – everyone had flat screen monitors at a time when they weren't common or cheap, a friend of the head of technology was hired – he lived in Atlanta and was flown up to DC twice a month, stayed at a very expensive hotel and a limo was chartered for him. All paid for by unwitting donors. Just disgusting.
Right on thanks to this article I just learned how to spell "Leeway." Getting smarter by the day, at least I hope?
I not that the link to the article regarding a woman being arrested for 'dumpster diving' came from Great Britain. GB is a country which has passed laws making virtually everything illegal. There is something very wrong with their country. The United States is headed that way. Unfortunately, there are liabilities involved in dumpsters, and civil courts have actually upheld suits against stores owning dumpsters where an injury to a 'dumpster diver' has occurred. Equally unfortunately, not every employee reads the company bulletins on food management.
The Trader Joe's here actually left past date meat (which was beginning to green) out in the chiller, apparently because the cuts were expensive, and represented significant wastage. Furthermore, they placed the outdated meat on top of new product, so whoever stocked it was very well aware of their actions. Now I've worked grocery, and I know very well that kind of thing doesn't happen except in a culture where it is allowed, be it at store or company level.
It's my understanding that many Trader Joe's stores are properly managed and fully integrated with their communities, however, given the meat incident, I have lost trust in ours, and I doubt I'll shop their again. I would say that Trader Joe's suffers from a lack of adherence to certain standards; somethign they are going to have to spend some time addressing.
Just a small comment about the legality of dumpster diving here in the US: USA (from wikipedia)
Because dumpsters are usually located on private premises, dumpster diving is illegal in some parts of the United States, though the law is enforced with varying degrees of rigor. The California v. Greenwood case in the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials. Dumpster diving per se is probably legal when not specifically prohibited by state or local law.
I did a quick google search and found a freegan page: "However, if a dumpster is against a building or inside a fenced enclosure marked “No Trespassing,” you could be questioned, ticketed or even arrested by the police. Other law-enforcement tactics to discourage dumpster diving include:
- to ticket or arrest for littering (hence the legal as well as common courtesy reason to leave a trash area neater than you found it!);
- to ticket or arrest for disorderly conduct, if you are blocking a sidewalk or generally creating a ruckus while dumpster diving, or refuse to leave an area when requested to do so.
Unless a town or city has specifically made dumpster diving illegal, generally the police will not come unless called by a store manager or property owner. In our experience, this is yet another good reason to be courteous with any store employee (or resident with a dumpster) who questions the dumpster diving in progress, and to use common sense about how long an individual or group stays at any one trash location. If anyone asks you to leave, consider doing so, even if the law is on your side– there are plenty of other wasted resources to be found."
**
One of my best friends works at Whole Foods and the amount of food that he is forced to throw out because of regulations in the state – it's just sad that so much food is wasted.
Oh for the love of.....They are a business, and EVERY single food store does this. You have to throw out expired food – legally. Grow up people. Yes, it would be nice if they could donate it, but they cannot for food safey reasons. they would be liable.
Why single Trader Joes out for something every single food store, coffee shop, restaurant or cafe does. This is a part of the business.They do donate usable food.
It's ridiculous tho take some dumpster divers word on what is/isn't edible or safe. They remind me of that guy who used t "forage" for wild mushrooms. He ate a poisonous one and died.
Susan, a person is a lot more likely to have his life cut short eating "safe" industrial food than a limited variety of unmistakable wild mushrooms.
riiiiiiiight *eyeroll*
I just Love Trader Joe's..I dump all my children in their dumpsters.
I need a babysitter this Saturday night...you free?
I work at Trader Joe's. Average part time employee checking in. ALL food that is edible but not sellable is supposed to be donated as a general store policy. Unfortunately you get some lazy people who don't want to do through the relatively simple process of setting it aside for donation. That is the fault of an individual employee, not the company and is usually fixed as soon as its noticed by a manager.
I know my store donates a large amount because for the most part our staff is pretty conscientious about waste. Anything that can be safely donated usually is!
C'mon, sing it with me!
I saw a Freegan diving the dumpster out back of Trader Joe's
And his hair was perfect
I haven't read all of the comments and this may have been covered, but if not I want to share. Even if the food is "old" or "damaged" or "over ripe" it could still have a use for animals.
My mother ( a caterer) was supplying my brother and myself with vegetables and fruit scraps she didn't use catering for our horses - she's not a waster. Horses will gladly eat melon rind, apple cores, bruised items, old greens, carrot peelings, and the like. It was soooo appreciated by our animals that she asked the local stores to allow her to have the outer leaves and damaged items so that there would be plenty for all of the horses we had. The stores were happy to do it.
Animals in pastures or in a natural settings gladly eat food humans would discard without problems. They're thrilled to eat every damaged piece of fruit lying under the tree, they'll happily mow your vegetable garden to the ground if they can get to it, and carnivores don't just live off of fresh kills. Every one knows bears, raccoons, squirrels, etc.. raid trash cans gladly.
Aren't there shelters out there that would be happy to have some of this discarded food to "treat" their underprivileged charges? Even if it isn't good enough to sell or for human consumption, an animal would probably think it was wonderful – a bit of heaven on earth! It would also help the shelters stretch their funds.
As a Trader Joe's employee, I can tell you that we have NEVER thrown away any food that was not bad. What VERY little food we did throw in the dumpster was bad, rotten or expired. Everything else is packed in to large bags or boxes for donation to a local food bank the next morning. Compared to the food donated (including a ton of bread and baked goods every day), the very little that actually is thrown away is minimal. Personally, I think this guy could have chosen almost any other grocery store chain to petition! Trader Joe's does an awesome job with donations and limiting food waste already!
Grocery stores have to get rid of a lot of useful food that they wish they could donate. My father works as a manager of distribution for Food Lion grocery stores. Recently one of their distribution centers was hit by a tornado ( the one in Dunn, NC) and the roof was torn off. Because of most of the roof being missing they had to get rid of all the food. My father saw pallets of canned goods, paper products, and other items that had nothing wrong with them, but because they were "exposed" to the open air all of it had to be put in the dumpsters. The CDC told them that because it was exposed to open air that it could not be donated.
My whole family was horrified by this but at the same time it reflects american values and shows we have no common sense.
As a community outreach that picks up food for our Fresh Rescue and Food Bank program from many stores, including Trader Joe’s, we find our greatest donator to be Trader Joe’s. We pick up food from Albertson’s, Ralphs’ and other stores around our community. TJ’s is awesome about calling us to go pick up food that is potentially going to go to waste.
http://covenantlifechristianchurchyas.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/trader-joes-does-support-community/
I useta be into this CrimeThinc crap, but then I grew up.
Its sad when we throw away better food than some people in some countries ever see in their whole lives.I think food should be a commodity that is subsidized and freely given,but I guess that would be considered socialism.
So some huge, national pseudo-corporation – Feeding America – is whining because Trader Joe's isn't donating to food banks THROUGH THEM. I smell payola. Sounds like TJ's is doing the right thing, while Feeding America is upset because they're losing out of their role as middleman.
How about an article looking into Feeding America's corporate structure, financial arrangements with national food chains and other dealings?
Some of it will be inedible, but that doesn't mean it has to go to waste. They sell chicken, eggs and pork, right? Do they support their local producers? If they do, chickens and pigs will eat damn near anything that isn't nailed down- either sell it at a steep discount for feed, or just flat donate it to the growers.
This article sounds like a press release for Feeding America and I am sure it is!
It certainly does. Sounds like Trader Joe's is doing the right thing, but FA is upset because they're out of the loop.
i used to work at trader joes. and i can tell you that the store i worked at threw literally tens of thousands of dollars of food away every month. the amount of food that was acceptable to give to food banks usually amounted to only a few hundred dollars a week.(food has to meet certain standards in order to be donated, for liability reasons). the reality is that trader joe's is a multi-billion dollar corporation which is not even american owned (it's owned by a german family)... and the image they put out is just that, an image. very few products they sell are from the u.s. they go all over the world to find who can provide the product cheapest, and then ship it half way around the world to the u.s. the environmental impact of their business is huge.
When I was homeless in Santa Cruz I fed about 20 people a day from Zanatto's deli trash. Sandwiches still wrapped in saran wrap, ravioli, spaghetti. There was a chocolate-making store on that block. Every day they threw away pounds of chocolate: white chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered nuts. You haven't lived until you've pulled 5 pounds of broken chocolate bits from a dumpster.
The most interesting dumpster I encountered was in Palo Alto. A pizza parlor and large apartment complex shared it. Based on the trash, there was a major pot dealer AND an FBI office in the same building. I'd find tens of trash bags marked "2 lbs" with pot still inside, along with all kinds of paperwork marked "FBI." One time a guy yelled at me for going in the trash and I knew it was the dealer.
For non-vegetarians: I've learned to check my local supermarkets at the end of 3-day holiday weekends. If the markets haven't sold the cuts of meat intended for holiday barbecues, they'll often reduce the price by up to 50%, yet it will still be several days before the "sell by" date on each steak.
Grocers are protected from liability by the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. I would suspect some food is thrown out as a result of a lack of coordination and/or manpower between an individual store and the local food banks and pantries. Trader Joe's has a very good reputation in my area (Orange County, CA) for their generous donations and overall support of non-profits.
Did the doof ever think that maybe the food thrown out before it's "best by" date was tainted in some way? Perhaps a recall? Perhaps something that happened to it in the store? I'd think twice before indulging in this dumpster diving.
In the documentary I saw about Freegans a few years ago, the Freegans were outside a bagel shop at closing time. The bagel shop sold "fresh only" and whatever didn't sell that day was thrown out. The breads weren't even a day old yet! They also found all sorts of unused products like shampoo that were thrown away because the lid or other parts of the packaging was slightly damaged. It's an insane waste.
Really you are going to pick on trader joes, after all the good they do? Get a life and quit tarnishing the company for your own gain...ego...whatever. Go look at ralphs, stater bros, vons, and other large national chains! There is your story. Pathetic, they should arrest you for trespassing and I hope you are unplugging your charger so that someone doesn't come along and blame you for wasting electricity.
Go back and read the article. He's not trying to pick on them specifically, he supports all they do. Their dumpsters were just the easiest to get to.
@IvannaSlapaHoe@Abisqueal
And this is because...
You might want to try learning to use the "reply" function and usernames vs. "titles" before you post on message boards.
Have never dumpster dived but admire the heck out of people who do! More power to 'em, provided they take the right precautions. As we slide further into Third-World-nation status, this may well become a vital skill.
This is something you respect...digging in garbage cans from a business? What if they dug in your garbage and put on YouTube how much paper you throw away or that you read porn magazines? Respect is for those working in the shelters, food banks and companies that freely give useable products to the needy. I just hope that after you dumpster dive for the first time you wash your hands before sorting through the good produce..
What? You sayin' Trader Joe's reads porn? LOL!!
The Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which became federal law in 1996, shields food donors from liability as long as the food was donated in good faith. Details from Feeding America: http://bit.ly/nZJmds
@ Vince, well there you go then. I was not aware of that, thanks for pointing it out.
Still nothing prevents a person from filing a lawsuit and going on camera to say that they have with their media whore attorneys. (Think most of Gloria Allred's clients). Suit might get tossed but the bad pr still damages.
@they try, do you happen know what kind of food they can't take? I am just curious
I used to work for a Rescue Mission and the TJ's in our area did try to donate. The thing that most people don't understand is that there are some products that homeless shelters can not take or use and it will unfortunately, end up being thrown away at the shelter. It isn't that the stores aren't trying, sometimes the the non-profit's hands are tied as well. And as someone had mentioned earlier, people are looking to sue so even at a homeless shelter, if you get some kind of bad food, there is a chance that someone could sue you. More of the problem is the legalities rather than the actual want to serve others.
I worked at a coffee shop (large chain) and we did donate a lot of food items. The company tried to donate as much as possible, but it was the shelters being overly fussy at times and refusing donations. Believe it or not. No idea what their reasoning was.
Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill, NC, donates their expired, but still edible food to the local homeless shelter :) I think what they are doing is great! LoveChapelHill helps by collecting it and delivering it each week. It sets a great example for the community.
I gotta be honest, I was cringing watching a coupon show and the woman climbed in a dumpster to get newspaper circulars that were going no where near her mouth!
I think these people have a screw loose, the risk of contamination thru proximity alone screams "DON'T EAT THIS DUMMY !!!"
Don't eat this dummy... hahahaha
exactly
These Freegans aren't taking anything out of the mouths of homeless. My teenage "Freegan" goes to the TJ's in Merrick, NY, which is a very upscale neighborhood. She's never run into any homeless or poor people there, but if she did, she'd probably give them all her money.
Do these "Freegans" realise that they may be taking food out of the mouthes of homeless or poor people who check those dumpsters, and that some restaurants and stores put that food out separately for them. If you want to help companies create or upgrade their donation programs to reduce food waste, great, but if you can afford to pay for food, you shouldn't take what might be feeding the most vunerable.
Actually, the Freegans in NYC gives walking tours and tips to homeless people to teach them the best places to dumpster dive, what times to check what bakery bins, and how to spot tainted food.
@Thia is right, I've seen a show on t.v. where they'll give the homeless tips on how to find stuff that's still good. I also saw a group of divers who would gather all the usable food they could find, wash it up, then cook it all up and feed the homeless with it. I thought that was pretty cool of them.
I don't necessarily disagree with the "freegans", but I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it. Too many gross things in dumpsters. Wouldn't it be better if Trader Joe's, et. al. would choose to donate their unwanted yet usable food to food banks or homeless shelters? It'd be a bit of extra work, but would do a world of good.
I was a member of a food co-op years ago, and they sent (maybe sold) discarded food to a local farm that used the baked goods as a feed supplement for cattle and pigs and composted the produce. Maybe not the very best solution, but at least it wasn't being wasted.
I keep waiting out back of my local porn store for them to throw away some of their outdated material, and nothing seems to be filling the dumpsters! Whats wrong with America, if people can get free food from dumpsters, can't we get free porn from them too!?!?! The horror, the horror!
That's what the Internets and the Googles are for.
George, I hear there's rumors on the Internets...
It is too bad that they were going to throw out the food. There are so many people out there that don't have food. If the woman were to give it to the homeless shelter, well okay. But she was going to give it to her own people, not the homeless. I would go in and ask if I could have it first and then take it to people who needed it. JMHO
wait, Hookah or Hooker pipe?
I put a set of Hooker Pipes on my 1964 Chevrolet Corvair. Hilary loved the sound of them and I liked that the exhaust smell would knock her out so that I didn't have to listen to her yapping all night long.
That's where all the tea party and republicans are, at the bottom of the dumpster.
They are not at the bottom they watch from their cush rooms through the security camera footage so they can then ensure the people who truly need the supplies get fined for stealing.
@Bill C that explains a lot- but wait, where did you meet Monica then? an outhouse?
Silly, I met her at the Smoke Shoppe–she was checking out cigars and I needed a new Hookah pipe.
ok, ok, I will admit, your response was better than mine, ;)
You needed the pipe for the fat chick partys :-D
I found Hillary in a dumpster during college.
People dumpster dive all the time. It's called COLLEGE. It's where I cut my teeth and learned to find awesome things for free that other college classmates were throwing out so I could re-use. Perfectly good stuff that was barely used, like furniture and kitchen appliances!
There was a time when most of my computers at home were built from parts I got dumpster diving. But these days, the dumpsters are all in the line of sight of security cameras, so no more free computer parts for me.
I wonder if its because they trash it they can write it off as a loss? and even though if they donate it they can write it off (as a charitable contribution), they don't want to deal with legal ramifications if the shelters or soup kitchens mishandel it resulting in food poisening?
I mean we are after all a sue happy society and no good deed goes unpunished. I am not saying this is the case, just wondering out loud.
That's what I'm thinkin'. Having worked at a major grocery store, it was a shame to see a lot of seemingly good food get tossed if it was even suspected that it was mishandled or possibly tainted. This society is litigation-happy; if the store donates it, there's the presumption that it's 100% good. If it turns out it's bad, bam! The store is "knowingly" doling out bad products. Their corporate culture is one that seeks to destroy the poor (or whatever demographic is taking these donations). And their actions are utterly reckless.
As much as I can't stand to see such wastefulness, even a basic economic understanding of the situation shows that it's probably more efficient to throw out $20,000 (hypothetically speaking) of suspect food than face $1,000,000 of potential litigation. It's not that tossing it is necessarily a GOOD decision, but it's not worth the grocer's time/money to test everything that could possibly be bad.
But where there's a problem, there's always an opportunity for a solution. It'd be nice to see a company/group established with the right credentials to go dumpster diving (or have the store just give it directly to them) and do basic tests to see what is salvageable.
That's exactly the problem. Food is thrown out of stores all the time because if the date on the package is in any doubt, customers complain. Sometimes the food thrown out is from returns, as well, which can't be put back on the shelf even if the item appears unopened. Some jerk could always put LSD in the cookies, for example, and seal up the packaging.
There's just so much liability with food because there's risk of poisoning in perishables and tampering in non-perishables. While a no-waste scenario would be lovely, it won't happen until we're all willing to buy 3-day-old bread, etc., and there are a lot of people who won't hear of purchasing something that isn't the absolute freshest just-off-the-truck food. My husband works at a grocery store and they have got some seriously high standards for what they'll keep on their shelves and what has to go. Despite this, people complain about produce, etc., all day long.
What would also be great is if grocery stores were equipped to do some preservation on-site for fresh foods – like canning or freezing fresh items and selling them on the shelves. That would be some awesome waste reduction – just the kind of thing we do in our own homes to keep food from going bad or reusing leftovers for a new meal.
I have gone dumpster diving for products but not for food. At the end of the summer camp season dumpsters in long term summer camps become filled with things that campers and counselors bought for the summer but cannot pack for their flights back home. I have gotten perfectly working irons, curlers, coffee makers, towels, and other perfectly useful items. We are a country of waste when things aren't convienent.
Another good location is move out day at a college/university
I helped one of the counselors at our public school go through the trash on the last day of school, grabbing anything usable – when a student can't afford school supplies the following year, we have last year's leftovers (many never used) to give them.
Too bad the campground hasn't allwoed a local charity to set up a doantion bin.
And yes, I lived in boston until recently – the college kids are the worst. They throwing away theor mattresses with the linens stil on them! You owuld think of all the generations alive, this college age generation would use Freecycle, CriagsList or Goodwill more for their discards.
I don't really think it's a good idea for those who can afford to buy food to do this. When so many who are homeless or in truly desperate situations can use this food, I think it's kind of selfish to just go and take it. "Freegans" are fine to do what they want, as long as it doesn't start to take away from the people who actually need the food.
But I do think there's entirely too much waste of good, usable food. There should be more programs in place so that a grocery store or restaurant can donate the extra food to soup kitchens or something instead of just trashing it.
A friend of mine is a vegan freegan. A lot of his food comes from foraging for wild plants and mushrooms. When he dumpster dives, it's usually for staple goods like oil, dreid legumes, flours and grains. This is the sort of stuff that requires cookware and a stove/oven to be of much use, so he's not really competing with the homeless. I don't understand freegans who load up on processed food and refined baked goods. Yes, it's noble to want to reduce waste, but I wouldn't want to sacrifice my own health for it.
I had a friend who was a vegan freegan from Muskegon...
But seriously, you're right about the junk food. No nutritional bargains to be found there.
Many freegans do much more than take food for themselves – many have formed groups that take this food and it turn make what they can to feed the needy on the street. This is a worthy movement.
Two better words: %&@^!*# NASTY!
Seriously folks, I get the food waste message, but keep it up Darwinism will reign and cull you from our planet. Can you say food-borne illness waiting to happen!?!
A film about dumpster diving wins 21 awards? Hell I guess my life deserves an Oscar or two.
Try making a film about REAL homelessness, not some yuppie who drives his Prius out behind Trader Joes. TIA.
Then DO IT!
Steven A – this movie is not about homelessness, it's about food waste.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357741/In-court-charged-theft-finding-woman-took-food-Tesco-bin.html
After reading the above article, I would caution anyone to rethink this as harmless.
I don't understand why the food story was so upset. It was being thrown away anyway. My Dunin' Donuts store will put out donuts from the day before in a bag for homeless to take the next morning. I would rather see that then throwing it out completely.
The Trader Joe's in Brooklyn puts the food out for the homeless and needy.
@rox – I'm glad to hear your Dunkin' Donuts is doing that. Years ago, my father tried to get our local DD to donate their day-olds to the boy scout camp where he was the ranger and they could not because of liability issues. Like, if some kind got sick after eating one of the doughnuts, regardless of whether the doughnut was to blame. What a shame.
Trader Joes on Long Island, NY donates to our organized on a biweekly basis. They are amazing with donating bread, pies, muffins, veggies, etc. We are so thankful for their support to the homeless families we work with!!
I live in the Antelope Valley in California. We have a large homeless community and many people who depend on the local food bank. I am volunteering at that food bank. Trader Joe donates huge quantities of usable food to that food bank. this week I witnessed over two hundred bags of food being distributed. most of those bags had food that had come from Trader Joe. The hungry and the homeless were the beneficiaries of Trader Joe"s willfulness to not waste what was still usable. Highlight someone who is doing nothing.
Trader Joe's also donates a ton of food to the free food drives aboard Camp Pendleton, Ca for the military families.
I'm not a fan, but I don't see how someone taking the trash you have THROWN OUT can be called theft. When you put it in the bin, you are telling the world you don't want it anymore, right?
Not my thing, but I don't see how they can punish her for 'finding' their TRASH.
I understand what you mean Fred Evil, but if they own the dumpster and the back of the building is private property..... how that be any different then going onto your property and digging through your bins? and while you may not have a issue with it, some people might. To each his own. There are plenty of laws out there that are stupid, but they are still laws we have to abide by.
At TwoWords:
If a law doesn't make sense, then there is no reason to obey it other than to avoid the arbitrary consequences that come from violating it.
Laws are mere ly a tool to allow us to all get along. If the law impedes that, then it should be gone. The law is not holy, it can and should be updated as we evolve as a civilization.
Garbage is not private property. If you are afraid of people getting hurt dumpster diving and then suing, that might be a valid concern. But once something is in a garbage bin, you've relegated it to the public domain, that's just common sense.
As soon as laws are necessary for men, they are no longer fit for freedom.
Pythagoras :)
First of all I would like to recognize the incongruity of the heading of this comment, after a title like "Two words for you" I would assume that no more than two words would follow. Beyond this I feel it is incumbent upon me to also point out that the article you so aptly referenced was from a U.K. source. I would hope that you understand that Chelmsford, Essex is in fact part of England and not the United States, and is therefore subject to an entirely different judicial system. Beyond that I would also like to highlight that the above article is centrally focused on the waste management of Trader Joe's locations Nation-wide, that's strictly the United States. Therefore not only was your link disparate, but entirely irrelevant and unnecessary.
"Two words for you" is her username, not a title. Duh.
Store owners claiming their trash bins as private property isn't just a UK thing, A. Gardner; it happens here in America too.
Otherwise, judging by the tone of all of your comments here, you seem to have forgotten to have some fiber this morning.
As Thia pointed out "Two words for you" is a screen name (she clearly has more common sense then you). I am well aware that the article was from a UK source since I was the one who posted it. I never said it was illegal= just putting it out there since I thought it was stupid that she got charged for stealing something that was discarded- You my friend have WAAAAAAY too much time on your hands, you need to get a life get a hobby or get l@id, seriously before you implode
I would caution you to think that was pertinent. First of all I would like to recognize the incongruity of the heading of this comment, after a title like "Two words for you" I would assume that no more than two words would follow. Beyond this I feel it is incumbent upon me to also point out that the article you so aptly referenced was from a U.K. source. I would hope that you understand that Chelmsford, Essex is in fact part of England and not the United States, and is therefore subject to an entirely different judicial system. Beyond that I would also like to highlight that the above article is centrally focused on the waste management of Trader Joe's locations Nation-wide, that's strictly the United States. Therefore not only was your link disparate, but entirely irrelevant and unnecessary.
And I will say it a second time..."Two words for you" is her username, not a title. Duh.
:-)
@Thia, My apologies. I am maladroit when it comes to user names. If you can forgive my grievance, I am curios as to whether you agree or disagree with my corrections. Believe you me it speaks volumes when someone steps up to bat and corrects in such a manner as your aforementioned, however it still was not pertinent to my comment. Thank you for your thoughts.
oops, I forgot to add cunt.
There is only one cunt I see and it's you Bitch.
You forgot to add your c*nt? That's weird. Usually, they are are a built-in feature. You should probably see a doctor about that and your extreme insecurity.
Hey, Abs..do you work at Smart Growth America?
Final thoughts. Thank the jesus I don't believe in that I am no longer vegan, nor poor. And to those Fregan gods, I ask that my soul be spared from the all-righteous-Cnn-Eatocracy-posse indignation that may follow me.
That was in the UK, you wanker.
University of Kentucky?
I think both the stores and freegans should cut the shananigans.
Where is this world going?!
Really? This story bothers you that much? I guess you don't get out much.
Different country, different laws. Silly.