Many grocers and restaurants strive to minimize food waste, but it's not always possible due to new store policies aimed at reducing liability in the event of a foodborne illness.

A Chipotle employee explained that their store now requires large amounts of prepped food to be thrown out, highlighting wasteful practices. 

What happened?

In r/chipotle, the worker stated that before the policy change, the store would reuse cold products, such as tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and fajita veggies left over from the previous night. The manager would tell them to relabel the products for that day instead of wasting them. But with the updated rules, the store can't reuse any leftovers, resulting in more than 50 pounds of food going to waste in some cases.

"Required to throw away left over product," the original poster said.

"This is mind blowing to me that a business would encourage this," the poster said. "I understand not wanting to use expired product but I don't understand why the sudden change after all this time of doing it. I've worked in restaurant for almost four years and we've always just relabeled for that day and made sure we FIFO."

Photos revealed just how much prepped food was trashed, along with about a dozen containers that held the products.

"It hurts my soul to see all that pico in the trash," one person commented.

"Maybe if chipotle didn't make their employees throw out all this perfectly good food every day they wouldn't need to also make you give me the world's tiniest scoop of guacamole and charge me $3.85 for it," another shared.

Why is food waste concerning?

Earth.org reported that around one-third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted each year. That amounts to about $1 trillion worth of food being thrown out, or enough to feed 3 billion people.

Food waste also squanders around 25% of our water supply from uneaten products, and the land, fertilizers, and labor are also put under unnecessary strain. Additionally, when food decomposes in landfills, it releases the potent greenhouse gas methane, which is a significant contributor to the warming planet.

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.

When businesses introduce policies that encourage food waste, it drives up costs for consumers and ultimately harms the environment.  

Is Chipotle doing anything about this?

According to the company, it has launched a program called "Mindful Prep," which teaches staff how to reduce food waste during preparation. In addition to initiatives aimed at reducing packaging, Chipotle reports that these policies have had a substantial impact on waste.

It has also introduced composting programs and achieved a record with 100% of new restaurant openings participating in the Harvest Program, which donates extra food to local charities. 

What else is being done about food waste?

Food waste is a complex issue, as stores must ensure the products are safe to eat before donating them. However, stores like Kroger and Trader Joe's have demonstrated that it's possible to rescue food and distribute it when policies are followed. In the past, both chains have donated thousands of pounds of perishable food to nonprofits when their freezers malfunctioned during storms.

At home, you can join in the effort to reduce food waste by composting your leftovers, which also has the benefit of saving money on fertilizers for your garden.

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