Loblaws throwing out good food!!

[FallenPixels]

We're a small store, so we keep track of things, a customer came in looking for an adapter for a water fountain, don't sell that, maybe you should contact the company that makes it, bought a new one in the meantime. I made sure to tell my 3 other coworkers not to return this item because it would probably be swapped out for the dead adapter. (the original purchase was over a year ago).

This particular store is like that too, he remembers everything I bought, asks if the cats liked whatever new toy I bought them, keeps me a catgrass for them because he knows I usually pop in on a certain day, grabs my bag of Orijen as soon as I walk in etc - and it was Pedigree or something so no way she would have got out of there without a lecture about feeding something better, he would have remembered her.

[lekate]

This particular store is like that too, he remembers everything I bought, asks if the cats liked whatever new toy I bought them, keeps me a catgrass for them because he knows I usually pop in on a certain day, grabs my bag of Orijen as soon as I walk in etc - and it was Pedigree or something so no way she would have got out of there without a lecture about feeding something better, he would have remembered her.

Haha, we don't even carry Pedigree anymore, I wish we could get Orijen, would fit in with my vegetarianism and wanting to have ethical foods for my kitties.

[GeorgiaK]

Isn't there a law or something that says that they cannot sell it past the expiry date?

[kerrylj]

The cheese is likely fine far beyond a month old. There are cheeses that are years old. The reason they are expensive is that they take time to get 'old' and that they have to waste some of the cheese cutting off the mold.

I often will keep cheese in the fridge months after their date if they are sealed. The mild will just get more like old with more flavour.

The one that makes me a bit freaked is eggs. I was talking to someone about the eggs and how you can take them camping and keep them unrefridgerated for a week and be ok. - No thanks.

The mold on bread is a form of penicillin however if you are allergic to that mold (like some in my family are) then bread I check more carefully for dates. I am sure the amounts would matter as well.

There is a difference between expiry date and best before dates. I know things like medicate can often be safely used for up to a few months past the date on the bottle depending on what it is according to the pharmacist I asked about it.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Article...1-403be0dd8439

http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en.../ask/dairy/#76

actually this site has a section for a number of food groups at the bottom. Pretty interesting reading

http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/cookwell/ask/

Last year I was unfortunate enough to get sick from something (I believe it was when I was cooking chicken and somehow contaminated something like the tap. I was the only one of us to get sick (thankfully) but I was so sick for week. That is an experience I never want to repeat so if in doubt I will toss it.

But there is no getting over how much gets thrown out in North america. I imagine we could feed a small country with what we toss.

[FallenPixels]

Having had food poisoning before, I am more careful now but yes, some foods are actually fine past the date given. BUT I also see why stores will not sell past it and risk that lawsuit, it is one thing for me to buy it in date and eat it later but if I show I bought it later and it is out of date, they could be responsible.

It is not actually illegal to sell stuff past a sell by date in Ontario (it is illegal to hide or change a date to sell it) as long as it is a best before and not expiry date, so it is more them covering their butts than complying with a law

[westcoastblondie]

Unfortunately, since people will sue them if they get sick from eating it, I completely agree with them doing it.
The same as food banks wont take it because they would be responsible for giving the expired food to a person etc

This is exactly it! Except to the comments above, I'm pretty sure there are laws in our country that (unfortunately cannot quite be monitored/overseen properly) are against the selling of goods past expiry... or so I've been told.

[xXtiggerXx]

My boyfriend worked at a grocery store and the amount of food wasted every day is sickening. Everything in the bakery not sold by the end of the day is thrown away, same with deli hot food and some produce. Employees are not allowed to take any home, while its in the store it's considered stealing and in the dumpster you're trespassing to get it. They used to allow farmers to pick up boxes of old produce for their animals but then an employee was caught stealing products from out back by putting them in the boxes and covering them in lettuce. So thanks to him all of the produce is put in the dumpster.

When asked if they could donate the doomed food to the local women's shelter or food bank, we were essentially told that if they gave it away the poor people wouldn't come in to buy it. They are the only grocery store in town, next one is >20 min drive away and with many seniors and struggling people without vehicles they are forced to shop there. Sad wasteful world we live in..

[bekki3]

As far as cheese goes... I would use it if it was outdated and it would not bother me any about cutting off mold. I've seen that done all the time when I was growing up.

I just really, really hate now to see things go to waste.

Growing up I remember my great-grandma 'eating' the mold on the cheese. She said it was penicillin! Must have worked, she lived to be over 100!!

[torontogal12]

It is penicillin. We eat mouldy cheese. Blue cheese and brie have mould on them and we're just fine

Growing up I remember my great-grandma 'eating' the mold on the cheese. She said it was penicillin! Must have worked, she lived to be over 100!!

[lekate]

The cheese is likely fine far beyond a month old. There are cheeses that are years old. The reason they are expensive is that they take time to get 'old' and that they have to waste some of the cheese cutting off the mold.

I often will keep cheese in the fridge months after their date if they are sealed. The mild will just get more like old with more flavour.

The one that makes me a bit freaked is eggs. I was talking to someone about the eggs and how you can take them camping and keep them unrefridgerated for a week and be ok. - No thanks.

The mold on bread is a form of penicillin however if you are allergic to that mold (like some in my family are) then bread I check more carefully for dates. I am sure the amounts would matter as well.

There is a difference between expiry date and best before dates. I know things like medicate can often be safely used for up to a few months past the date on the bottle depending on what it is according to the pharmacist I asked about it.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Article...1-403be0dd8439

http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en.../ask/dairy/#76

actually this site has a section for a number of food groups at the bottom. Pretty interesting reading

http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/cookwell/ask/

Last year I was unfortunate enough to get sick from something (I believe it was when I was cooking chicken and somehow contaminated something like the tap. I was the only one of us to get sick (thankfully) but I was so sick for week. That is an experience I never want to repeat so if in doubt I will toss it.

But there is no getting over how much gets thrown out in North america. I imagine we could feed a small country with what we toss.

In South Korea and Paris they sold eggs unrefrigerated.

[saradouce]

In South Korea and Paris they sold eggs unrefrigerated.

Back in the day, people wrapped their eggs in newpapers and kept them like that for over 4 weeks in cool place. 6 months at 4 degrees.

[aly8887]

Well, I asked about this (day old or almost expired bakery items) at Safeway for the womens shelter as they love donut and sweets there. I was told that they had to throw them away and not into the dumpsters because they got sued once from a homeless guy that went dumpser diving for bread and got sick eating it. I think he won the lawsuit...

[tjthemanto]

Just got back from Loblaws. There is a box full of NoName pecan pieces bags in liquidation area and lady asked guy how much it is. Guy scans and its around $7. He looks at expiry date and all of them is near end of April. Sorry, we can't sell. Lady says reduce it and I will buy. Sorry, we can't sell, we have to throw them away. Can you give them away for free? Sorry, no.

I wish I have the guts to dumpster dive at Loblaws, LOL.

With so many frivolous law suits going on , i think companies don't want to take any chances.

You never know when the customer will try to sue you from eating expired food and will blame you for some non existing food poisoning or something.

[tjthemanto]

Some stores don't even like to reduce prices for food that's nearing expiry , as it hurts their business model.

Once people get used to buying food at a lower price , like 50 % off as its close to expiry ..they wait for it to reach the expiry date and don't buy it at full price anymore.

[wolfwoman]

There was another show on tv that had people going through garbage in New York City for food. I think they called it 'Freeganism'. It was really interesting to watch what they found in the grocery stores' garbage bags and how much is still very edible. Such a wasteful society we live in!

I watched that show and was SHOCKED at the amount of perfectly good food that thrown away.