Food crisis & Food waste...

aa6972 · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:27

With the food crisis being in the news everyday, you would think people would know better about not wasting food. Working for a supermarket, I just see people leaving stuff out of the fridge, asking to exchange an item of the most slightest fault (meaning the item can no longer resell), Do these people really have to starve to learn the value of food? The worst is that their children are gonna so use to the idea of not having to worry about food (not until they hit uni anyway

) the problem will never be solve........

Solari · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:30

When they hit uni they will live on beans on toast?

Seriously though - if you think *we* have a perspective problem, you should look at the states first...

I like Sam Kinison's take on things.... "Why don't you all move to where the DAMN FOOD IS! THIS IS SAND! NOTHING GROWS IN THIS ****!"

I'm so insensitive when drunk.... *hic*.... night!

Lord-Jaffa · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:32

Is this a joke? So because someone doesnt want a tin of beans thats been smashed in you think they need to starve to learn a lesson? I would have thought its common sense not to eat something thats potentially been contaminated.

I can afford to be fussy when buying my food, why should i buy something thats been left open or has something wrong with it? If you are so worried about it why not buy the food for yourself, or give it to a homeless shelter.

elbows · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:47

The problem will be 'solved' by further price rises and shortages, though it wont be pretty.

aa6972 · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:52

Lord-Jaffa said:
If you are so worried about it why not buy the food for yourself, or give it to a homeless shelter.

Actually I do... I buy a lot of the waste food and give it to people (to friends I have to say cos charity wouldn't take them cos health & safety)...

anyway, Not trying to offend you in anyway, but what I am trying to say is that people create unnecessary waste, as I mention, they leave unwanted item out of the fridge, or they damage the item while shopping, I just think people should be careful and appreciate food that's all, you guy have been so lucky not having to worry about food..

Jotun · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:52

Part of the issue though is that even if you collected all the unwanted food in the UK, it would cost a huge deal to ship all those dented tins to where they were needed.

Van Hellseek · 23 Jun 2008 at 00:55

aa6972 said:
With the food crisis being in the news everyday, you would think people would know better about not wasting food. Working for a supermarket, I just see people leaving stuff out of the fridge, asking to exchange an item of the most slightest fault (meaning the item can no longer resell), Do these people really have to starve to learn the value of food? The worst is that their children are gonna so use to the idea of not having to worry about food (not until they hit uni anyway ) the problem will never be solve........

The problem isn't really the customers turning their noses up at slightly damaged products, but rather it's the sheer amount of perfectly good food the supermarkets themselves throw away at the end of EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Imagine the number of supermarkets in this country... Makes me feel sick to think of the sheer scale of the unnecessary waste.

Jotun said:
Part of the issue though is that even if you collected all the unwanted food in the UK, it would cost a huge deal to ship all those dented tins to where they were needed.

Pretty sure many homeless would happily collect... (it's not just 'those pesky foreign types' who need help).

toosepin · 23 Jun 2008 at 01:20

When I worked at a supermarket when I was younger the thing that got me was how the supermarket itself wasted a lot of self cooked stuff from the bakery everyday.

Each night at close of business they would bag up about 3 bin bags worth of semi stale bread, cakes, pastries etc and then throw them away. Sometimes they poured a blue dye in the bag to stop homeless people eating the stuff.

Managements excuse was H&S and general liability. It really seemed a bit pathetic, but I guess most businesses of that size do have to worry themselves about the possibility of being brought down by compo chasers.

Having said that, in Manchester the homeless people seem to be catered for. I rarely see a homeless person on the streets in the early hours sleeping. Most of the time they aren't begging for food, just for luxuries. Apparently there are plenty of soup kitchens and shelters for anybody who has to hit the streets at some point.

When I was in San Diego though, there were a few back alleys literally chock-a-block with people in cardboard houses.