A power outage turned one Wawa store into a walk-in fridge full of trash.

What's happening?

A Reddit post ignited frustration over food waste at convenience stores after a Wawa employee shared the aftermath of a power outage that forced their store to toss all perishable goods. 

"So much food wasted," the post reads, blaming a tractor-trailer for knocking out the power.

The employee said the store lost power around 8 a.m. and wasn't restored until 8 p.m. — during which refrigerators lost their chill, causing full crates of drinks, deli meats, and prepared foods to be deemed unsafe and discarded.

The store, located in Pennsylvania, had to discard crates of food due to temperature safety concerns, despite the original poster reporting that employees sat around for hours before the cleanup began.

"We sat around all day and even DoorDashed food and then proceeded to throw away thousands of dollars in food," the employee said in a comment.

Why is food waste important?

Food waste from power outages like this one reflects a larger environmental crisis. 

In the U.S., up to 40% of all food is wasted, in turn wasting the resources it took to grow, process, and transport that food. Increased waste also means increased methane emissions from landfills, which are linked to rising global temperatures. When large businesses like Wawa are forced to throw away mass quantities of food after outages, the waste not only adds to carbon emissions, but it also represents a missed opportunity to donate edible goods or compost perishables, both of which can soften the blow to the planet.

In this case, the food may have been too unsafe to donate, which is a real concern when dealing with unrefrigerated meats or dairy. But employees' comments suggest some goods may have been discarded preemptively. 

"It sucks to waste so much food," said one commenter. "There needs to be an emergency line to call to pickup food so we can donate it… or store it in a dairy truck temporarily."

What do you worry about most during a power outage? The temperature in my home 🌡️ The food in my fridge 🥩 Not having any light 💡 Something else 😟 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Is Wawa doing anything about this?

While Wawa does tout local donations and sustainability, there is little publicly available information about how it handles spoilage during emergencies like power outages. 

Unlike Trader Joe's, which has partnered with local food banks to donate food after power loss, or Kroger, which has donated refrigerated goods during storms, Wawa has not been spotlighted for adopting similar post-outage recovery efforts.

That said, the company's ability to act may depend on local health regulations, which often prevent the donation of food that has sat unrefrigerated for several hours. This makes proactive planning, like having backup generators or donation partners in place, really important.

What's being done about food waste more broadly?

Several major grocery and convenience chains have created structured donation programs and emergency food rescue plans for when outages or overstock lead to surplus or unsellable products.

For businesses like Wawa, solutions could include installing backup generators to maintain safe temperatures during outages, pre-arranging partnerships with local food rescue organizations or shelters, or training staff to distinguish food that must be discarded versus items safe for donation or employee consumption.

Everyday consumers can also help by supporting businesses that prioritize food waste reduction and pushing for policies that protect and enable food donations, even in emergency situations.

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