Here’s an alternate take on the 3% wasted food charge discussed here Monday. By the way, that story really has legs…
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Amen–a Secretary of Food. Here’s an online petition to support a reformer for Secretary of Agriculture Food.
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Check out this topical interview with some dude who can’t seem to speak in sound bytes.
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Good to hear that hunters aren’t wasting venison (see last line). Ditto for elk meat (elkison?).
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From The Washington Post‘s What Bugs Me page:
Have you paid attention to how our supermarkets deliberately waste food? Daily they cull fruits with slight bruises and wilting vegetables. Not long ago, these were offered to customer at a reduced price on a separate rack. When I asked the produce manager what happened to this still-good food he said: “It all goes in the trash. As store policy dictates, for fear that someone might get sick eating it. Even employees are forbidden to take it home.” What waste in this world of hungry people! — Rose Baker, Aroda
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Enjoy this spot of leftover humor from Thanksgiving via Craigslisting. I promise I wasn’t the one offering to eat others’ leftovers. BTW, this post was the funniest thing I read in 2008.
7 Comments
“Not long ago, these were offered to customer at a reduced price on a separate rack. When I asked the produce manager what happened to this still-good food he said: “It all goes in the trash.”
That is where the dumpster divers come in!
What was the link for the Washington Post? I can’t find it when I search the website.
Dumpster divers – THEY are the ones that deserve to get food poisoning!
Sorry–neglected to put the Post link up. It’s on there now and also here.
I like your attempt at describing elk meat (elkison!) From a family of avid hunters I can tell you that anything with antlers would be considered venison and that certainly seems to be the chosen vernacular with many hunters. If it’s not a deer I typically hear it referred to as elk venison, moose venison, etc. If someone is not elaborating than they are probaby talking specifically about deer meat.
Thanks for filling me in, Tyler. As you can tell, I’m not a hunter!
Not all grocery stores are so bad. At my locally owned grocer store,I once picked up a large container of vinegar that leaked. When the checkout person noticed, she put it aside and I asked what would be done with it and was told that it would be used in the deli. I found out that this was true of a great many things, including fruits and vegetables. They claim that they actually throw away very little and I can testify that their deli foods and prepared meals are delicious!
Good point, Mimi. I wouldn’t want to paint all grocery stores with one brush, as there’s a lot of variation. I would guess that the smaller stores are more smarter about being resourceful and less worried about lawsuits.
As for finding in-store uses, the deli guy at the supermarket where I used to work would come take produce straight from the displays. Nothing second-rate for them! I always wished they’d use one of the bags of lettuce with a “sell-by” date of that day (that we were going to throw out), instead of one still on display.