A Kroger deli worker took to Reddit to share the staggering amount of prepared food their store throws away every day.

What's happening?

A Kroger employee shared their frustration with Reddit's r/Kroger community regarding the "insane amounts of food" their deli department discards nightly.

According to the post, a single evening's waste included "5 8-piece chickens, 5 rotisseries, 1 turkey breast, 2 full rack ribs, 10 5-piece chickens, 2 popcorn chickens bags, and 2 almost full pans of side dishes," and that didn't count morning sandwich waste.

The worker reported that waste has increased as the company has added more hot food items to its menus. Despite following corporate production guidelines via a system called "zebra," substantial amounts remain unsold by closing time.

Another employee commented: "Our deli has been reprimanded in the past for 'over producing' when we weren't even cooking as much as the zebra told us too, but were then told 'Oh, just follow the production guide.' I'd rather not follow the guide and not feel like a s***** human for throwing away 30 pounds of food than cook to their idiotic program."

A third commenter added, "It's so sad."

Why is food waste concerning?

Food waste has serious environmental impacts. When discarded food decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a dirty gas 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat.

Grocery stores contribute heavily to America's food waste problem. Approximately 30% of the food used to stock American grocery stores is ultimately discarded. That's 16 billion pounds of perfectly good food. This waste occurs while approximately 1 in 7 Americans face food insecurity.

The water, energy, land, and labor used to produce food that's never eaten put unnecessary strain on our planet.

Is Kroger doing anything about this?

Kroger's "Zero Hunger, Zero Waste" initiative aims to eliminate food waste across the company. The program includes donations to local food banks and the development of more efficient ordering systems.

What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste? Not buying food I don't need 🧐 Freezing my food before it goes bad 🧊 Using my leftovers more effectively 🍲 Composting my food scraps 🌱 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Kroger claims to have diverted 500 million pounds of food waste from landfills through composting, animal feed, and anaerobic digestion.

However, the Reddit posts suggest a disconnect between corporate sustainability goals and store-level practices.

What's being done about food waste more broadly?

Companies such as Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods rescue "ugly" produce that would otherwise be discarded and sell it at reduced prices. Meanwhile, apps such as Too Good To Go link consumers with stores that sell leftover food at discounted rates.

Overseas, France has made it illegal for supermarkets to trash unsold food and requires them to donate it to charities instead.

As an individual shopper, you can help. Plan your meals before you go shopping, properly store food to extend shelf life, and compost food scraps. Supporting businesses with strong anti-waste practices encourages industrywide improvement.

The most effective solution may be better technology and flexibility in food production systems, allowing stores to prepare food based on customer patterns rather than rigid corporate guidelines.

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