A Whole Foods worker called out the grocery chain after being told to discard a large amount of perfectly good food.

What's happening?

In a Reddit post, the employee vented about their task: throwing out good food for seemingly trivial reasons.

"I had to throw away at least 100lb of fresh food," they said. The waste included meat, cheese, sandwiches, and pizza, much of it tossed because of minor issues such as torn packaging. 

Many commenters related, having also worked at Whole Foods or other grocery stores. One said they had to trash 12 rotisserie chickens in a single shift.

A few employees noted that some Whole Foods stores do compost or donate unsold food, but they also pointed out that those efforts can be inconsistent or difficult to implement depending on store policies and location. 

"Honestly every food establishment I've worked under that's owned by a large corporation wastes this much food. My store does use the compost trash cans. But the garbage collection system doesn't bring it to compost, too much of a hassle for them. It all goes to landfill," one user said.

Why is food waste important?

In the United States, up to 40% of food is never eaten. That waste adds up to billions of pounds each year, filling landfills and contributing to pollution. 

When food breaks down in a landfill, it doesn't decompose the way it would in nature. Instead, it releases methane, a powerful gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to the planet's warming.

Wasted food also means wasted resources. Every piece of produce or package of meat that's thrown away took water to grow, fuel to transport, and energy to store.

At the same time, millions of people in the U.S. struggle to afford enough to eat. More than 40 million Americans experience food insecurity, while fresh, edible food is thrown out by the ton every day. That disconnect has sparked frustration among workers and customers alike, especially when companies have the option to donate food that's still safe or use composting to keep it out of landfills.

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Is Whole Foods doing anything about this?

Whole Foods has shared goals in the past around waste reduction, and some stores compost or donate unused food. But many stores still throw out large amounts of fresh, edible food.

While food safety rules and donation restrictions can complicate recovery efforts, other retailers show that it's possible to act quickly and reduce waste.

What's being done about food waste more broadly?

Several major grocery chains have made big changes. 

During a power outage, Kroger donated 30,000 pounds of food to a local food bank instead of letting it spoil. Trader Joe's took similar steps after an equipment failure, working with volunteers to hand off food to neighbors in need.

Customers are also getting involved. Apps including Too Good To Go let users buy leftover food at a discount from local restaurants and stores, keeping it out of the trash and saving people money.

Composting is another simple way to keep food waste out of landfills. Whether it's done in a backyard bin or through a municipal pickup program, composting turns scraps into soil instead of methane.

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