One of the problems that plagues all restaurant industries is food waste.
Whether it's unused ingredients, finished products that never make it to customers, or excess scraps left over from customers' meals, food service establishments throw away tons of food that could be used to feed people.
Hospitals are no exception, as the Reddit dishwasher example showed earlier.
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🔘I don't make compost🚫
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what happened?
A Redditor shared a story about r/mild anger with two photos as proof.
“The amount being dumped here is enough to feed over 680 people for dinner alone,” they wrote.
The first photo shows a huge commercial dumpster half full of rice, broccoli and other food. Judging by how the different types of food are separated, it looks like they're being thrown directly from the platter into the trash can without seeing the individual plates.
The second photo shows a dish large enough to hold a gallon of liquid. One is still full of rice and has a spoon stuck in it. The other had recently been emptied and apparently contained broccoli.
“Overall, the place is [throws] “We provide enough food to feed more than 680 people (breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert) every day,” the Redditor said.
Why is food waste a problem?
Our World In Data estimates that 25-30% of heat-trapping air pollution caused by humans comes from the food supply chain. In other words, food is one of the major reasons why the world is warming.
Naturally, people need to eat it, so a lot of it needs to be grown, shipped, and processed. But food waste means that all the energy and resources that went into that food, and all the pollution it caused, are wasted. You just need to replace it with another item.
Food waste increases costs for consumers, uses up valuable resources and increases pollution from the food supply chain.
Why do hospitals continue to waste food like this?
Some commenters suggested hospitals could donate extra food they couldn't use, which sparked a fight in the comments section.
One user said, “If I owned a restaurant I wouldn't be able to pay to donate food because there are so many frivolous lawsuits these days.” “Everyone wants to get rich quick and will do it at your expense.”
“Most places have laws that limit liability for donations only if the donation is made in good faith and not for profit,” another commenter countered.
The hospital that discarded the food was not named in the post, so it is unclear what policies led to its disposal, as there are guidelines in place to ensure the product is safe to eat. But it's natural to wonder if more could have been done.
The Good Samaritan Food Donation Act provides certain protections to businesses that donate food, and Kroger and Trader Joe's have taken similar steps in the past to prevent product spoilage.
What can we do to reduce food waste?
Even if you can't donate, you can still compost. Composting allows you to “recycle” food into high-quality fertilizer that can be used to grow more food.
You can also support establishments that are doing their best to minimize food waste. For example, a pizzeria in Detroit saves money and protects the environment by carefully managing its menu and minimizing waste.
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