@___inCANdescent/TikTok
December 14, 2021, 7:21 am
A series of TikToks about dumpster diving at Whole Foods has people online frustrated yet again that corporations can be so wasteful and so unethical.
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@dumpsterdivingfreegan’s account is dedicated to “exposing waste in the [United States],” largely by rummaging through dumpsters, and while her videos covering Whole Foods are just the tip of the iceberg, they’re particularly upsetting due to both the quantity and quality of foods that regularly get tossed.
A Twitter user shared one video in particular that sparked a conversation — one where @dumpsterdivingfreegan says she pulled out enough waste from her local Whole Foods’ dumpster to feed a whole community.
“Every time I come to this particular store, I find cases of organic food that is thrown out well before its ‘best by’ date,” she explained. “Last night I found enough food to feed an entire community. I found everything from organic chicken and beef to Beyond Meat.”
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Her video does, in fact, show a whole table full of food — and not just meat, either. Fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and some other items were all on display, salvaged from the dumpster thanks to chilly temperatures and solid packaging that kept everything safe to eat.
Most Americans have a vague idea that restaurants and grocery stores throw out all sorts of food that could probably still be eaten, but seeing the full scope of how much gets tossed out at just a single, random store in one night hit different for some folks watching the video online.
Come to find out, grocery stores throw out literal tons of food every week that is still perfectly good to eat. Meanwhile I’ve made myself sick with worry over an issue that I’m not even responsible for.
— Dewi
(@_sconsolato) December 12, 2021
Reminder Hunger and Homelessness isn’t an unsolvable problem but a choice of capitalist leaders. It functions as leverage against it’s people. https://t.co/potskHbAjD
— Taylor Goethe
FREELANCER
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As the waste was condemned, some folks chimed in with stories of similarly destructive practices they witnessed at Whole Foods and other stores.
I agree. Usually there’s a DESTRUCTION process. When I worked at places like this in college I would sneak & take it to homeless & domestic shelters, as well as pantries on campus. The waste is always ridiculous.
— Bellamy James
AAWOMAN ADOS (@SpiritofBellamy) December 12, 2021
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Although some stores allegedly refuse to donate food waste because of potential liabilities, a more cynical viewpoint suggests they don’t give it away because it could hurt their bottom line.
The reasoning goes: if people could just wait til a certain time to get food for free, why would they buy it? Never mind that some people couldn’t afford it either way and this could be the only way they eat. That’s not what a capitalist society worries about. But that doesn’t make it right, and some are demanding better.
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California is set to enact a law that will require supermarkets to donate left over food starting in January 2022, and will require the same of certain locations including restaurants, hospitals, and schools starting in 2024. The only real question is why, in such a “prosperous” nation, where an estimated 38 million people struggle with food security, this hasn’t become a federal mandate.
*First Published: December 14, 2021, 7:21 am
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