Trader Joes New Idea for nearly expired food

[Tussiemussies]

To sell as cheap meals:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/21/222082247/trader-joes-ex-president-to-turn-expired-food-into-cheap-meals


What is your opinion on this. I don't have one yet....

[JaneV2.0]

I think it's an excellent idea; Grocery Outlet stores already do something like this, along with discontinued items, overstock, etc.

[puglogic]

Sounds alright to me. He will have some hurdles, but on the surface it seems like a good idea.

We have people bicker locally about the natural grocery store's "bargain shelf," where you can get the less attractive and almost-past-their-prime produce for a buck or two for a big bag (in August I bought a huge bag of limes for a dollar, and froze the juice) Some people just have a natural aversion to going against that "best by" programming.

[creaker]

I think it's a great idea - and like Jane said, it's already being done.

I remember when Trader Joes used to be a much more odds and ends kind of place itself, selling whatever they could buy in bulk cheaply.

[Miss Cellane]

Food is usually good for about 5-7 days after the "sell by" date.

I think people get confused, because some foods have a "use by" date and others have a "sell by" date and frequently the label doesn't say which it is. So a lot of people throw out perfectly good food, because the sell by date has passed.

So I don't see why this wouldn't work. Except that people's perception of the food involved might make them avoid the meals. Because they'll think the meals are made with outdated food, which they really won't be.

[sweetana3]

We already have a similar program here called Second Helpings. It provides training for unemployed/underemployed, uses food that often goes to waste and makes wonderful meals.

"Everday, Second Helpings volunteers and staff rescue prepared and perishable food from wholesalers, retailers and restaurants -- preventing unnecessary waste. That rescued food is used to create 3,500 hot, nutritious meals each day that are distributed to 70 social service agencies that feed people in need.

The Second Helpings Culinary Job Training program trains disadvantaged adults for careers in the foodservice industry. This helps eliminate hunger at its source. More than 500 adults have graduated from this program, and Second Helpings alumni are now working in Central Indiana as cooks, executive chefs, business owners and culinary instructors."

[SteveinMN]

At our big local food bank, I work in a program referred to as "Protein Pack".

Second Harvest has secured agreements with the local grocery chains (including Target and Walmart) to take meat that has met its sell-by date, freeze it on-site, and then let SH pick it up. Once at the SH warehouse, it is inspected visually (we toss items with compromised packaging or ground product that's packaged in black tubs [the "air" inside those does not do well past the sell-by date]). We separate beef, poultry, pork, and miscellaneous (cold cuts, BBQ beef in tubs, processed turkey roll, etc.). Previously-frozen fish products are moved to the shop-it-yourself section for clients to choose and cook right away. The rest is then shipped (frozen) to food banks throughout the state.

It's still good meat. It would have been wasted in a landfill somewhere. And it sure beats making yet another meal out of spaghetti or canned tuna. I've seen Porterhouse steaks and veal -- cuts too expensive for me to buy -- coming through. A good deal all around.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea it's a great idea, they're not going to serve anything dangerous, liability alone will keep them from that.

My only caveats are wondering what it actually does to the food stream 1) there will still be some food that doesn't even meet their standards, what happens to it? 2) does it divert food from other destinations, food banks, dumpster divers etc.? Now with the food banks, I think most people would actually prefer to buy their own food than rely on charity if they can afford it and hopefully this will make decent food more affordable even in food deserts. But still some people need food banks. As for dumpster divers it's obviously not an efficient way to get rid of food, so this is bound to be an improvement in terms of not wasting food, so yea it's a better answer. Only so much ever gets picked up by dumpster divers. But nontheless I have a great deal of sympathy for them whether they are really in need (some definitely are) or just rebels and freegans (we didn't evolve on this earth paying for everything), or helping out those in need 3) I just hope there are no unintended consequences like encouraging even sillier sell by dates in stores like TJs, I don't anticipate it, but you never know.

[KayLR]

Our local food bank does the same as Steve's. In fact, Steve, my hubby works for the food bank and does meat re-pack all the time and sees lots of both waste and diverted waste. Most all the retailers in our city (including Walmart) have their excess and "past prime" dated stuff picked up by the food bank, processed and palletted out to the various smaller food banks in the county.

There is a big misunderstanding by the public it seems, about the dates on food labels. There is no federal regulation on it; they are simply the manufacturer's recommendations. (I'm talking packaged food)