On the BBJ: Guilty as charged. Small world. Are you still using cooking to build camaraderie?

By the way, did you used to freelance write for the Boston Business Journal? I think you interviewed me for an article on corporate team building.

I’m afraid the answer to the last question (very important) overrides common sense and the other two questions. From what I’ve heard, most stores yearn to be thought of as temples of freshness. They’ll happily lose money to maintain that image.

The supermarkets whose image is based on low prices aren’t quite as bad on this front, but they still want to present their “A game” if they can.

But we all choose the A fruit over the B+ every time if they’re the same price. Does that make us complicit??

It still doesn’t make economic sense, though.

The store has paid for the fruit, and even if it isn’t quite as good as the best, its still pretty high quality. Giving it away is a good thing to do (if they really are) but it is at a loss. If they discounted the B+ fruit, couldn’t they still make a profit without making the A to A- fruit sit idle until it was spoiled? Wouldn’t their volume of sales go up until the cheaper fruit was sold off, along with the better looking and more expensive fruit?

Or is it an image issue: It is better to lose money on slightly less attractive produce than to degrade our image of only having top drawer (and expensive) produce for sale?

The high volume inner city supermarkets don’t seem to have that problem. They let the ratty produce intermingle with the better stuff; the customer does the sorting, and at the end of the day what is left doesn’t need much reflection about whether its worth keeping around.

Thanks, Sam. I’m looking forward to reading your post about the CT Farmer’s market double discount. That’s a superb idea. Where I live, a shelter gives vendors at the farmer’s market a box to donate unsold items. Toward the end of the market, the shelter picks up the boxes of donated local, fresh produce. I would guess that the currency involved in the Connecticut model yields more donations.

Sara S., so I take it your husband doesn’t like blue cheese. I see what you mean on the little juice boxes–I try to avoid packaged goods at home. But that goes for all packaged goods. The small juices help avoid waste with the wee ones (with wee needs).

One thing I think is a waste is the little juice boxes, what is the matter with putting a little juice in a glass, the “easy way” is another thing that gets the land fills fuller. We are a spoiled nation if it isn’t easy don’t do it, some people should read up on the depression days and learn a few facts on conserving. We only have one planet, let’s take care of it for our children and teach them.

Wanted to mention I heard about a program in CT where food is bought at the end of day at the farmer’s market for half-price. (Farmers prefer this rather than taking it back to the farm or composting it). Then a non-profit doubles the value of WIC coupons for low-income people to buy this food, so effectively they are getting fresh farm produce for 1/4 the regular market price. Needless to say, it goes quickly, creating a viable market for end-of-day produce and raising access to food. A win all around. (I’ll explain more in a post soon.)

It’s ironic we waste so much food when there are so many food deserts in our midst….

Julia, that’s encouraging to hear about your changed ways, and you make a great point about our ability to impact others. Indeed, avoiding food waste and composting what you do toss is contagious. I’m curious, why were you the “queen of food wasting” and how have you changed your ways?