bryan_jenkins t1_j2yxryk wrote on January 4, 2023 at 10:32 PM

Reply to comment by Pantim in How to feed the world while reducing nitrogen pollution by filosoful

It's really not simple though. If it was simple we'd probably have solved it because improving efficiencies typically makes people more money. Waste is inversely proportional to profit.

60% of waste is commercial. Farms waste food because they are collectively guessing at the markets and productivity in a given season. Distributors and grocery waste food because of the above AND because they need to have more than enough of all products so as to not lose disappointed customers. "More than enough" is inherently waste. Most grocers actually operate produce as a loss leader. 40% of food waste is in the home because people buy more than they need because they don't want to buy less and food is cheap.

Simple solution: nationalize all farmland and ration food to all households. /s

Also, grocers enclose access to dumpsters to reduce their liability. Good Samaritan laws ostensibly protect them but do not prevent spurious lawsuits that require massive legal fees to fight.

Primordial_Snake t1_j311l2x wrote on January 5, 2023 at 8:54 AM

In the context of the store I worked in, throwing food away (and making it inedible) was supposedly profitable. We needed the shelf space filled in case we had a day in which people would buy more than expected. But of course it doesn't stay fresh, so in the bin it went.

roidedgoose t1_j318aas wrote on January 5, 2023 at 10:23 AM

The interesting notion is a project me and friend did about this. We began looking for these lawsuits grocery stores go in about. To no one’s surprise we actually couldn’t find a single lawsuit that went anywhere. The only one we found was over a deli in a grocery store selling and serving expired hot food.

I am of a very strong opinion that these groceries and business don’t want to fix the problem. They give excuses and reasons why they can’t but if compelled would do it. Sad this goes undone