This article in Idaho’s Twin Falls Times-News provides insight into why restaurants think waste is “inevitable.”
Unfortunately, the piece’s author allowed two common myths to go unchallenged. First, that food recovery groups won’t keep donated food at the right temperature, allowing it to dip into the bacteria danger zone. Most food recovery groups employ refrigerated trucks with drivers trained in food safety.
Second, the Golden Corral assistant manager said that the restaurant didn’t donate leftovers because the restaurant was liable for illnesses resulting from its charity. Not true. Like all restaurants in the United States, the Twin Falls Golden Corral is protected by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act
After that, though, the article provides some nice nuggets. Golden Corral throws away its fried food after 30 minutes on the buffet. Ditto for Little Caesar’s pre-made pizzas. A local pizza buffet chain Idaho Pizza Company allows employees to eat the pies that are perfectly safe, but “not presentable to the customers” after 45 minutes.
Yet, Golden Corral and Little Caesar’s both discard their food. Their rationale for discarding the food drives me crazy:
At Golden Corral, letting employees take leftover food is out of the question, Toothman said. “I can’t start that practice only because (if) they take it home, they think it’s OK to take it home anytime,” he said.
Finally, we learn that both pizza places throw away five to ten pies per day. Meanwhile, 12 percent of buffet food is trashed without being served at Golden Corral and that doesn’t include plate waste. That number didn’t bother the manager, as he considers it the cost of doing business:
“If you make somebody sick you’re not going to have any more business,” he said. “People have long memories when it comes to stuff like that.”
Comments
3 responses to “Corralling Food Donation Myths”
It always amazed me how much food gets tossed at the end of the night from buffets, dining halls, and the prepared food sections in grocery stores. I know in our buffet-style dining hall, it is absolutely disgusting how much food is overprepared for each meal, and then discarded. Just last week, over 30 pre-made turkey subs were tossed after lunch one day. And about a week ago a good 50+ sausage patties hit the dumpsters after breakfast. Also, a while back a whole premade tray filled with sloppy joe meat (enough for probably 100 servings) was tossed because the lunch crowd was lighter than planned. And these are just a few of the days I happen to eat as they are closing for the meal period.
And just to add, the reasoning I get for the overpreparation is so they don’t run out of any item. The rationale is you are supposed to be able to come at the last minute of the meal (9:59 for breakfast, 1:29 for lunch, and 7:59 for dinner) and still be able to have access to every item on the menu. Plus, they overcharge us so much for our meal plans, it’s no big loss to them to toss leftovers.
What a surprise to drop in and see our home town newspaper linked. (and for the record, I am not a big fan of the Times News, or the Golden Corral for that matter)
I find it hard to eat out at all. When we do treat (I don’t think “treat” is the right word) our family to a meal out, it becomes a lesson for the kids(and us)as to why we shouldn’t. And then of course, I feel guilty.
Thanks for the informative reads, I enjoy them.