It still blows my mind that all of this food I collect every week for my chickens and my family would otherwise be headed for the dumpster. We’ve been picking up free “scraps” from Mr. Produce Guy for over a year now and week after week I am shocked at what’s headed for the trash. So much of it is completely edible, but just not as pretty as we’re used to seeing in the produce aisles. I am really grateful for it, but it’s also frustrating to know so many people go hungry when perfectly good food is going to waste.
Check out some pictures of my biggest “free food” hauls over the past year. I bet I’ve rescued over $1,000 worth of produce since I started. It was really one of the most profitable and beneficial questions I’ve ever asked. Have you asked your local grocer if you can take their throwaways home? Has it worked? What have you been doing with your haul? Anyone tried asking bakeries, restaurants, etc. for their day old, bound-for-the-trash leftovers? I wonder what you’d see in their dumpsters?
And that was just a fraction of what I’ve brought home. Does it frustrate you just as much as it frustrates me that we waste SO MUCH in this country? Or do you think they are justified in getting rid of produce that’s a little wilty & a little moldy? Do you think I’m crazy for feeding my family produce bound for the trash? Or do you feel like I do that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?!
If you have just stumbled upon this series and are wondering how I got all this food for free, you’ll want to read this story first.
Head on over HERE to read all the past stories and to see all the pictures.
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Melissa says
I saw a man taking down produce that was bruised and past its prime. I asked him what they do with it, and he said they just compost it. I asked if I could buy it for a discount, and he said that no, I couldn’t because it was against store policy. He said I wasn’t the first to ask. Instead, they just throw it all away. Sad. We could have used it for jam or preserves.
Laura says
No, my stores don’t allow it. They have several concerns. 1) dishonest customers “returning” produce for a refund. In some stores you can get new produce and a refund if you return the bad items. You don’t even need a receipt. 2) since the food it past its “sell by” date, if anyone gets ill they may be held accountable.
Christina Kamp says
I have tried that and they tell me no around here. But i think it’s stupid to waste so much food when someone or something could eat it. Food is scarce in this world and we should all just do what we can not to throw it away. I think it’s awesome that you get it and even more awesome that you use it. All you have to do is wash it up and it’s good to go. I’m impressed with your resourcefulness. Thanks for doing that and saving it from the landfill on our beautiful earth! I’m so glad you have chickens so you can give them what you can’t use. Way to go!
IC says
I get trim from our local organic store for the chickens. I think food waste is terrible – my parents remember hunger in Europe during the war and waste nothing. However, I think it’s even more terrible that the average grocery store sells heavily sprayed produce, it’s more poison than food. I wouldn’t even compost it because of the research that shows the chemicals persist for years and kill off the microorganisms in the soil.
stacy says
I finally got around to doing this last week. One store turned me down and the second one told me to come anytime after 2 pm with my own container. They filled my container with a bunch of cauliflower that had slight brown spots, a head of lettuce that had some brown on the outer leaves and about 25 bunches of green onions with brown on the green parts. I cut a lot of the brown off the green onions, will use some for eating and will regrow the others. And yes the chickens did get a bunch of this to eat. What saddens me is that the manager said they put the produce out in the sun so it will spoil totally so people won’t get it when goes into the dumpster. Just makers me so sad when people go to bed hungry that we throw out so much.
Crystal says
Remember when you were thinking of breaking up with your produce guy? Hard to believe now as you are rolling in berries, melon, and veggies.
It is pretty disgusting how much food goes to waste every day in this country, especially when you start thinking about not just the amount of food going to waste, but the resources of land, clean water, transport, labor, etc that are going to waste as well as soon as that produce is tossed into the trash.
Ellen says
My son worked for a local juice company and threw away cases of juice that was close to shelf life. He was told the food banks couldn’t take it because it had to be refrigerated and the company needed to know the coolers were at a specific temperature to maintain quality. But I thought it could have been used same day. He kept filling my frig up because he couldn’t stand to throw in the dumpster. I had to make him stop though because there was no room for food with all the juice! But so sad to see it dumped like that.
Kathy says
The local store where I’ve gotten my produce from gives the day old bakery items to the local food bank. They do it with some of the produce as well, the stuff that could potentially still be sold but they choose to donate it. Last week I went up to my Mr. Produce Guy and he had 3 boxes for me…strawberries (my sister taught me how to make freezer jam!), a case of peaches we turned into a bunch of good eating, even tried grilled peaches! Hothouse tomatoes, corn, green and red bell peppers I turned into salsa. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots were turned into broccoli slaw. Bananas that were still yellow, little to no dark spots but were getting soft, made banana bread with some and pureed the rest for frozen banana cubes for the pups (they LOVE frozen banana!). None went to my friend’s chickens. And he had a boat load of produce that was donated to the food bank as well. I love these people! It’s a shame that some stores/corporations will just toss it in the dumpster and not even compost it especially if it’s still good for humans to eat.
Angela says
I sooo want to ask my produce guy but I still haven’t gotten the nerve. My local store is kinda corporate. I know the worst they can say is no… I’ll build up the nerve soon bc I know my chickens would LOVE some of this. Frankly, so would I!
Ben K. Media says
I would rather go to a store and find them all sold out than to see this. Not only the hungry people this could help, how about the farmer that busted his rear just so his work can go in the can?