Englishmum

I never, ever see decent price reductions on expiring goods here in the US.

However, I know that ShopRite in our area sends a lot of produce reaching its sell-by date to the Food Bank of NJ (a charity for those on the poverty line). There is a huge warehouse not far from Newark airport, where ShopRite takes all the food it is donating. Then volunteers from churches, synagogues, food kitchens for the homeless etc. take away boxes and boxes of produce for distribution in their local communities. There is a lot of poverty in NJ and it is shocking to realise just how many people are relying on food donations.

What I dislike is the very long shelf-life on bread in the supermarkets, they must be packed with preservatives - and expensive too!

I always look to the back of the shelves for the fresher loaves....ok I love bread from bakeries but one has to take the car to yet another shopping strip mall and it's hassle just to buy one or two items only (how I miss just walking down a proper high street!).

I'm pretty sure that in the UK the supermarkets still clear the shelves of bread every evening and replace it with freshly baked bread daily?

Oh well, I can't complain too much; I'm going back to Singapore in a fortnight and a pot of 4 yoghurts costs at least US$10 - more for Activia! Almost all food is imported from Down Under, the US and Europe and unless you go totally local and want to eat Bee Hoon or Char Kway Teo every day (pig organ soup, anyone? then one has to pay the price for Western food. I do try to avoid produce from China though and don't even drink Tsing Tao beer these days 'cos you just don't know what's going into Chinese produce.

Englishmum

Come to think of it, I was once getting a coffee at our local Dunkin Donuts and it was about 11.15am.

I was shocked to see all of the donuts and bagels being thrown away into a black dustbin liner, and asked the counter staff why they were doing this?

The reply was that they replace everything with 'fresh' items at approx 11.30am each day. Again I asked why they were throwing away perfectly decent food (If I'd been there 5 minutes earlier they would have sold me one of those donuts that they were chucking away!).

I was told that they don't give them to charities in case there is a lawsuit if someone was to get food poisoning....

cindyabs

Second Harvest is alive and well in this neck of the woods

http://feedingamerica.org/default.aspx?show_shov=1/

tonrob

Bob

The missus used to work in a clothing shop, they'd chuck all the stuff on sale and all the returns out rather than donate to a local womens shelter for a similar reason, not food poisoning, but in case they got sued for whatever reason.

USAbornBritishbuilt

I remember getting paid from Sainsbury's in Stevenage, Herts to buy red currants. They were on BOGO (buy one get one free) as they say in the USA and they had reduced they too much so their computer system gave a credit ... I bought 2 and when I realised on the bill I went back and bought the rest ! They stopped that ... but still did buy one get one free and you ended up paying 1p - things they had overstock on (potatoes, apples,etc).

Target is a good place for reductions ... not only food, Starbucks coffee, etc, but my kids love going there for cheap toys .

The difference is that the supermarkets in the UK are worried about giving nearly out of date or out of date foods to charity (except M&S who have a very strict policy to which charities they give it to). I think Food Pantry's are more organised here in the USA so a lot of that food that would be reduced goes to the pantries or the soup kitchens (although I'm sure this is not always the case).

There is a lot more people in need over here in the USA ... it is probably one of the things that has shocked me the most! More than a million children go hungry every night in the USA ... check out the following UK report!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...olds-us-report

So ... I do miss my reduced section in Sainsbury's and the local Somerfields (they were great too!) but, really I have nothing to complain about ... my kids aren't going hungry.

USAbornBritishbuilt

OK OK ... B4 I get slammed by you all for missing some of the above points about food being throw out I thought I'd slam myself first ... yes, you are right ... lots of waste and lots go to the tip ... but, I did say it is not always the case .... phewww .... pls be kind ... I'm just a newby.

And it is shocking that so many children are going hungry in the USA ... I just couldn't believe it when I read it ... I mean ... what is THAT about in a country as rich as the USA!!!

USAbornBritishbuilt

Thanks for that ...

cindyabs

I don't know, I truly don't, but would you not trust figures that the US out out about the US?

USAbornBritishbuilt

Huh?!?

Mallory

Sadly, some children go hungry in most countries.

http://www.24dash.com/news/Housing/2...-hungry-report

cindyabs

It's just something that occasionally irritates me, using a UK report on the US. I, meaning me personally, wouldn't quote US sources for info on the UK.

Englishmum

Here are some home-grown American sources, Cindy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111601598.html

http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/...the-south.html

http://www.feedingahc.org/

cindyabs

Thank you. I'm not doubting the intent, nor necessarily the veracity of other countries' info. However, as I said, I simply would rather see the US links like you provided for a US situation.

Sad how hunger even in this century, is something that has not been eradicated.

cindyabs

Question- what's the opinion here about foods that may have been genetically altered to be more productive?

Road to hell paved with good intentions?