I have a confession to make.

Faseret

I used to work at a Starbuck's where they also tossed perfectly fine food. It would drive me mad that they said they couldn't donate it because of "liability" issues. A co-worker of mine used to take it home with him and leave them by the dumpsters in his downtown neighbourhood where he regularly saw homeless people.

I think what you're doing is awesome. If everyone did it, or at least took it to a shelter, there would be so much less waste in the world!

Sumo813

I started double bagging the bread in massive clear garbage bags and leaving them outside our store at the end of the night, and sure enough every morning when I returned the whole bag would be gone. Heck, I would have brought it home myself, but figured they'd probably appreciate it a lot more than I would.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

THIS!!! More people and places should be like this.

One of the Publix stores in the part of town I grew up in will donate all of their "out-of-date" baked goods to a church right down the road that my mom would go to. Man... I loved the cheese bread and the garlic bread she would bring home when she went (it actually had cloves of garlic baked in... amazing when sliced thin and toasted up with butter!)

dont_u_mean_carrots

I've never grabbed food but we would jump into dumpsters behind computer stores and electronic shops and pull out a great deal of usable parts and pieces. Could put together a couple working computers every night we went out and sell them to class mates.

amymeenieminymo

I used to work at a bakery that sold primarily specialty loaves of bread. Each night we were to take count of how many of what kind was left, presumably to give the bakers some idea of what bread is selling most and how to adjust quantities accordingly. I am not sure if they just weren't good at figuring how much to make, or if they always purposfully made too much just in case, but we always had a ton leftover.

Our boss always had us pick maybe 6 loaves to put out the next day in the "day old bread" section, but other than that they all got tossed out (aside from the loaf or two I would take home each night, we could eat whatever we wanted). On an ordinary night we would throw out 2-3 garbage bags full of bread, and on the night before Thanksgiving we threw out 8!! That's insane to me. I once had a customer ask me what we do with leftover bread, and I did as my manager had told me, I told him we donated it to a soup kitchen but we didn't. I heard my boss didn't donate it because he would have to transport it himself. I don't know much about soup kitchens, but I find that hard to believe a kitchen would turn down an average of 21 garbage bags full of bread a week because they don't want to come get it.

I think my boss was just a lazy jerk that didn't care. I worked there for two months and he bounced every single one of my paychecks and about a year after I quit they went out of business. I don't care how busy I am, if I were a business owner and if it's true a soup kitchen wouldn't come get it, I would take it there myself. Maybe not everyday or week, but there is no way I would stand to see all that perfectly good food go to waste when there are hungry people that would gladly take it.

theginnyray

That is awesome! I hate seeing food go to waste, especially with so many hungry bodies. I'm glad even a small amount of wasted food is being put to good use.

infamousmk

My initial gut reaction is to be grossed out, but honestly, I've worked in restaurants and watched the perfectly good food being thrown out. I wish there were less liability issues and more ways to help this wasted food make it to people that can use it. The whole system is frucked, really, and that's really sad.

rbeatty63

Many large cities, Washington DC to name but one, have programs that co-operate with many restaurants to co-ordinate the daily left overs and get them to the area shelters. I think every town could benefit from that kind of graciousness. On the note that each of us waste over half of what we prepare or buy, as the cook in our home I have been making a real effort to prepare only as much as we will eat in one or two sittings. I grew up in a very large southern family where there were always visitors dropping in at odd hours; it is/was de rigueur to invite them to partake of the meal. So we always made enough to share, but now it is just me and my parents at home on a regular basis and since my parents are in their 80's and I am watching what I eat these days, we don't consume as much in any given meal as we used to do. It is a real challenge to cook well in tiny amounts! LOL Thank you for a thought-provoking post!

kayleen_longworth

If you can trust that its safe to eat, and bagged properly so that it is safe, go for it!

LilRedRooster

When I worked in a deli for two years, we threw out a TON of food at the end of the day, simply because regulations required it. Chicken, bread, salads, sandwiches, vegetables, etc. It all had to go, and it was such a waste! Now, I never dug it out of the trash, but if I knew it was going to be thrown out, I would just take it home. Which was perfect, since I was in college, living alone, and working part-time just to make ends meet. That "trash" kept me going for a few semesters, haha.

Nerple

Yeah, I am glad I wasn't eating lunch yet when I read this...

Josie_lifting_cats

We had a dumpster diver at the grocery store I worked at in high school. He was going for the fried chicken that was thrown out at the end of the night. My manager had to get locks and cameras overlooking the dumpster. I commented on how crazy it was and he explained why.

Apparently at another store (same chain) they had the same problem. Except then that dumpster diver got food poisoning from the chicken - at least so he claimed. He found a lawyer, sued, and WON against the store - even though he pulled it out of the dumpster to eat it.

So this is why companies get so uptight. Granted, it sucks that so much food is going to waste, but it's also better than being sued for a massive amount of money!

natashahunt2010

Hun, I would take it and feed it to animals or something so it isn't wasted. Please don't eat that.

janetb21

I would love to find a dumpster full of food like that.

marbit

You should check around in your state, MA actually has a bill on the table that would allow restaurants to donate leftover food to the hungry without fear of being sued. http://www.telegram.com/article/20120107/NEWS/101079930/1116

Your state may have something similar you can get involved in.

kathleennf

In the UK, Pret A Manger leave out their leftover sandwiches in separate bags for the homeless to eat. Very good idea.
In some areas there are special charities who collect and distribute these to shelters.


I live in Nicaragua - and down here it is quite common for those of us with more "means" to put "good" things in a separate bag when we put trash out - so that the poor people can take them. This can be anything useful to them - from yogurt containers, empty soup cans, etc that serve as "dishes" for them, to old clothes that you don't use anymore. It's just nice not to throw them in the regular trash where they get all dirty. Also people have lots of fruit trees and often put out for example a whole bag of mangoes or avocados just for anyone to take.

MrsWife2011

I use to work at a restaurant and we took baked goods at the end of the night because it would have gone in the trash every day. We would try to give some to the local homeless people when we could, but if we ever got caught we would loose our jobs. I think it is ridiculous even though I understand the liability, so much food shouldn't go to waste. I don't think I would ever take food out of the dumpster, unless I was desperate (but that's just me, not judging).

mommyrana

Bill Clinton passed the Good Samaritan Act that protects a grocery store/ restaurant etc from legal action when donating foods, and to encourage such companies to donate what would otherwise be waste
.
http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/appc.htm

It's a common misconception that that companies are liable if someone gets sick from a donation. It breaks my heart that people in America go hungry when we have an abundance of perfectly edible " waste". I fully support your duster diving! Rock on! If you can get it... go for it!

d5d14m66

When I was in college and living in an apartment, kids in my complex would make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (longer shelf life than cold cuts) and put them in ziploc bags. They would tape the bags to the lids of open dumpsters so the homeless people could find them easily.

BrienJD

Hell, if you can get clean, fresh good food from there, why not? The way food prices are going I would consider it a lucky break to have access to free fresh food like that. Consider how much it would cost to order the meal there! Also, we do waste way too much. I try to eat all my leftovers, but even then I end up throwing stuff out sometimes (albeit, but the time I chuck it, it has become a science experiment at times.) When I was younger I had a friend that worked at McDonald's (before anyone says anything this was over 25 years ago when they still had fairly good food) He would bag up the burgers in a large trash bag and then sneak them out after closing. We'd have burgers for a while after that. Restated: consider yourself lucky. When you walk out the grocery store after spending $100.00 and only have two bags to show for it, it makes sense to take advantage of a good opportunity as long as it's sanitary condition.

loombeav

I see the complete opposite side of this. I am a ServSafe instructor and prepared food most be kept at certain temperatures to be safe to eat. The food that is being thrown away may look fine and even smell fine, but if is past it's holding date or was time/temperature abused it very well could make you, or anyone else eating it very sick. Those companies that talk about throwing food away for "liability" reasons are not just talking about financial liability, a foodborne illness outbreaks can have devastating consequences on a business.
The food your diving for could be perfectly safe, or it could not be. Not a risk I'd be willing o take.

daffodilsoup

Honestly, I am so ecstatic to hear from like-minded people! I live with my parents and brother now, and they are so disgusted by it, but then again they have very strange ideas about leftovers and expiration dates in general. Because it's a high-volume place, the dumpster gets emptied pretty much daily, so generally all the stuff I'm using was on the shelf and sellable at the restaurant an hour before.

I see the complete opposite side of this. I am a ServSafe instructor and prepared food most be kept at certain temperatures to be safe to eat. The food that is being thrown away may look fine and even smell fine, but if is past it's holding date or was time/temperature abused it very well could make you, or anyone else eating it very sick. Those companies that talk about throwing food away for "liability" reasons are not just talking about financial liability, a foodborne illness outbreaks can have devastating consequences on a business.
The food your diving for could be perfectly safe, or it could not be. Not a risk I'd be willing o take.

I completely understand - in fact, it's funny you mention that because I had to take a ServSafe course in order to work in the convenience store that I was at.

I completely understand that what I'm doing is a risk, but looking at cases in actual grocery stores of ammonia-processed beef and spinach with E-coli, I think that you take that risk anywhere

EbonyK

You are one brave woman. That's good for not wasting but you don't know if they have spit in those bags or something. I would be afraid of getting sick or something. I guess if it works for you good for you.

_Timmeh_

How do you know there wasn't a recall on the items in the trash? What if the coroporate offices called and said "insert prodcut name here" has been found to be tainted with salmonella or some other food poison.
What if the employees had just come into work and cockroaches had infested the area this food was in. Ants crawling all over it.
Health inspector had just been there and found evidence of rats, says everything must be dicarded for safety reasons.

Hang on I'm gagging right now......breathe.....breathe...... breathe.....

It was thrown out for a reason, leave it be. No one can save the world by dumspter diving.

butterfliespink

Totally love this idea-you keep doing it girl!! :flowerforyou:

daffodilsoup

How do you know there wasn't a recall on the items in the trash? What if the coroporate offices called and said "insert prodcut name here" has been found to be tainted with salmonella or some other food poison.
What if the employees had just come into work and cockroaches had infested the area this food was in. Ants crawling all over it.
Health inspector had just been there and found evidence of rats, says everything must be dicarded for safety reasons.

Hang on I'm gagging right now......breathe.....breathe...... breathe.....

It was thrown out for a reason, leave it be. No one can save the world by dumspter diving.

Honestly, I do know and accept that it's a risk. Having worked in that field and been exposed to the rules of tossing food, I know that in most cases, food poison, salmonella, etc. would not be the case - and if it were, they certainly wouldn't still be serving patrons in the dining room.

I guess I'm also just not much of a germophobe. I inspect everything once I get home, and anything that looks questionable gets composted. Why throw out perfectly good food because of a what-if? I once caught food poisoning from contaminated romaine lettuce - and I paid for that! I don't eat animal products, so that really narrows down the food poisoning bit too - I wouldn't mess around with things like dairy products, but honestly it's pretty easy to tell if fruits, veggies, bread, etc. aren't good for consumption.

I don't take discarded food to save the world, just like I didn't adopt a vegan diet to save the world. I know that there is always going to be suffering and waste no matter what I do myself, but I've never considered that a good reason to contribute to it. The inability to do everything doesn't mean you can't try to do something

HauteP1nk

Not sure I'd do this. Doesn't seem sanitary. Maybe if I was homeless and desperate. However, each to their own...and as long as you are safe about it.

Although on the other hand, it is unfortunate that there are so many starving people in this world and that these companies just completely waste, waste, waste! It is too bad they can't donate this food or something. However, I know there are even regulations against giving expired or day old food to shelters and the like......

xo_morgan

is this illegal? Not judging at all im just curious & i feel like it is for some reason.
I only ask because i pictured myself jumping into Panera's dumpster & grabbing some bread.:embarassed:

daffodilsoup

is this illegal? Not judging at all im just curious & i feel like it is for some reason.
I only ask because i pictured myself jumping into Panera's dumpster & grabbing some bread.:embarassed:

That totally, definitely, assuredly was not me.


I think it largely depends on where you live. the dumpster we share, however, is located in a pretty convenient fenced little square. It's usually filled up to the top with breads by the time I leave, so when I put our trash in, I snag a loaf or two off the top.

UponThisRock

"People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn't. We threw away things people kill each other for now. "

^^^My favorite quote from the movie "The Book of Eli"

shalinimunjal

It's so crazy..I was at Panera late one night grabbing a sandwich and eating it there and there they started throwing all the leftovers in the cans. I was still there! I paid not 10 minutes ago for the same stuff! 4 large trashcans full of yummy bagels breads and rolls. What a waste.