What happens to All the Irregular Foods from Grocery Stores?
Let me make something straight right from the outset; most grocery stores do a bang-up job minimizing waste associated with expired, old or irregular foods. But, it happens - grocery stores have to deal with irregular foods. You see, when they close their doors, night shift workers spring into action to remove all the irregular, expired, and old food items from the shelves.
So, what eventually happens to these irregular foods?
Thrown Away
Grocery stores examine each food item to see if it is still worth staying on the shelves. A portion of irregular foods, however, is certainly thrown into the garbage. That means these foods end up in our landfills. For most grocery stores, this is a last resort measure after exploring other avenues.
Cooked and Prepared for In-Store Deli
Surprisingly, some grocery stores often prepare irregular foods like fresh meats, fruits, and veggies for their salad counters and in-store delis. It will help them recoup some profits and reduce food wastage. By doing so, these supermarkets are being environmentally friends and cost-effective.
Donated to Food Banks
According to Feeding America, there has been an increase of 40% in the demand of emergency food assistance in the past couple of years. That’s where food banks across the country come in handy. Accordingly, grocery stores donate most of its irregular foods to food banks. The good news is that FDA approves and even encourages this approach.
You see, expiring dates are only a mark of when the food is at its optimum quality, but it doesn’t imply that it is unsafe for human consumption. That is why food banks are taking in all kinds of irregular foods, from canned beans to deli meats.
Sold to Salvage Stores
Interestingly, most irregular foods find a second home. That is where salvage stores come in especially useful. They buy irregular, damaged, out of season foods from grocery stores to sell them at unbelievably low prices. Salvage grocery stores take advantage of this and make a few bucks from vending by selling past-their-prime and irregular foods discarded by conventional grocery stores.
Salvage grocery stores are indeed pretty awesome. They make sure that otherwise good food doesn’t end up in landfills. More than that, their low prices implies that low-income families can also enjoy nutritious meals.
Given to Homeless People
Have you ever wondered where the people who scrounge outside grocery stores get their healthy foods? Wonder no more - they are generously given irregular foods by the supermarkets. Be kind and generous and make useful and environmentally friendly decisions with these foods.