Dumster Diving for Food (Anybody Doing It?)

I worked at a grocery store. We rarely threw anything out, that was good or wasn't damaged. There is a reason for that shrinkage, and why they are throwing it out. Often, the food that's taken off the shelves was involved in a recall. I remember one time we had to clear the shelves of a bunch of chicken stock, that had been recalled. Recalled food isn't expired, it is recalled and dangerous. That night, they found a homeless man taking much of it. They started locking all the dumpsters from that point on. There was also an incident involving recalled peanut butter. They aren't "supposed" to just throw recalled food in a dumpster usually, but all stores do it. You don't KNOW that the food you're eating is safe.

No, I would never do it.

No, I will not eat trash. What is in the garbage can is garbage. You have NO idea if it has been contaminated or worse.

Also,if you are caught doing that here, you are promptly arrested. It is illegal.

My Trader Joes donates all foods they arent selling. They have no dumpsters....I have learned desperate people do desperate things. I would be super cautious if this is what you choose....you may end up very sick if you get a hold of the wrong thing.

I had to do this for a few months when I was young in order to eat anything at all some days. I was scared and ashamed – as far as I knew, nobody was doing it. Later I found out it is a time-honored survival technique.

I would dumpster dive again if it were a matter of eating or not eating. Otherwise, I Ieave the goods for those in that desperate position. Hunger is a painful and very compelling drive.

All I know is that there is a whole subculture doing this -as you mention and that is showcased in the film. Just be very careful about open packages, expiration dates and anything that definitely needs to be kept cold that may have been at too high of a temp for too long. The amount of food we waste as a nation (including that the stores throw out because of some pretty dumb reasons -but they're required to) is abyssmal. Good luck -just be careful!

***ETA -for those of you who think Trader Joe's is expensive -it's actually one of the cheapest grocery stores around in Atlanta. I shop there and Kroger and I can get organic foods from Trader Joe's at less than half the price of Whole Foods or regular grocery stores. If you think it's really expensive, you must never shop there.

No it is not something I would consider. However, I would consider growing my own food first, in which I do on a very small scale. That is mostly for my daughter to understand where our food comes from.

I am sure you are aware of the dangers and risks. Recently, a co-worker's teenaged daughter was hospitalized for a week. She picked up some type of bacterial infection. I didn't press to find out where this came from, but my worries would be cleanliness, the same concerns I would have for a dumpster diver.

Use caution and discretion.

No, I haven't and no I wouldn't consider it. Sorry....

Hi L.-

My ONLY experience with 'dumpster diving' was as we were taking my 'next in line kiddo' to college this fall.

It was evident as we were moving him IN...that students 'housed' for the summer were moving out.

I spotted an old 'wash stand' and a wonderfully built solid wood book case that we 'rescued' after we had settled him in.

HE WAS MORTIFIED!! lol

But...we have refinished BOTH pieces as christmas presents for one of my kiddos...the 'wash stand' will be the base for her complete aquarium!

Furniture...YES...

Food...not so much...

BUT...with me and MY kinder, things have not become that dire.

YET

So I try not to judge.

Best luck!
michele/cat

I just watched part of the video that is on-line and I am sorry but I find it very disturbing. Once this food is thrown out and is not refrigerated it instantly starts to grow bacteria. All natural or not you can get extremely sick from it, especially kids, infants and pregnant women.
There is a reason they have laws against this, mostly to prevent deadly diseases. Think about how much bacteria is growing in those dumpsters. I guess these people want to die from some foodborne illness or bacteria.

I wanted to add that I donate to my local food banks, I don't want anyone to have to get a meal out of the garbage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodborne_illness

Now, if the laws would allow the companies to donate the food that would be fine. They would then be able to keep it safe for consumption. But there is a lot of red tape involved with it. If someone were to get sick from donated food the people or company that donated it would get sued. This is why it’s not done.

ETA, for Dawn B, that claimed I misunderstood. This was taken straight from the OP's post, it couldn't be much clearer: "Everything was from Trader Joes. That's were we usually shop since their food is natural/organic."

Whoa, wait a second here...

Last time I checked, broke people didn't shop at Trader Joe's. Maybe if you stopped spending your money there, you probably wouldn't have to dig your food out of a dumpster with god knows that type of diseases & bacteria crawling in it, and then feed it to yourself & your child(ren).

If you are broke enough to dumpster dive, then you're broke enough for nutritional assistance from the state. Kind of seems like a no brainer to me, as to what's safer & less "embarrassing".

I think that calling it "dumpster diving" is what has got me a little grossed out but I have a feeling that you are not actually crawling into a dumpster and eating opened thrown out food. I think that if you speak to the store and they give you food for free that they were just going to throw in the trash then heck yeah I would do it. I get looks from my inlaws when I eat expired food. My moto is if there is no mold or sour smell then it is still good. When I was growing up my mom would pick off the mold on our bread and give it to us and look....I am still alive. I think that it made us more immuned to things. I know that I have bought food that is one day past their experation date for real cheep if I knew that I was going to eat it that day. I personally don't eat natural/organic food but I can assume that it would stay fresh longer because there are no added fillers and other things that could make the food go bad. If you have done your research on it and it feeds your family then that is what you have to do.

No, I wouldn't do this... but to each their own. I have to say, though, that I find it odd that your friends go dumpster diving at Trader Joe's since Trader Joe's is known for donating almost everything that it can no longer sell. The Trader Joe's by me doesn't even have a dumpster for food. The only thing that goes in is cardboard boxes and very spoiled stuff.

Ok. a couple things to comment on here. First, I would have a really hard time getting anything out of a dumpster to put into my mouth. Just the thought of it grosses me out. (I will admit that I am quite OCD though, so maybe that isn't helping) Second, many of the responses are saying that local stores donate their food to shelters, etc., well, have NO IDEA where you all are from, but around here and in Ma. where I grew up, that is NOT happening! The hubby works for a company who work in several smaller stores with gas stations attached where they sell baked goods and have coffee, etc. They just changed out the style of their coffee pots and THREW away CASES of UNOPENED coffee and filters because they were changing to a new brand. He asked why they didn't doate to a shelter or fire station, etc, and was told that corporate wouldn't allow it. It all had to be tossed. It was in unopened, boxes, with hundreds of unopened bags inside. They were NOT expired. Like I said, they were just changing brands or the company they used. UGH! My Mom works for Walmart, and anytime a customer decides not to purchase ANYTHING from the meat department that they bring to the register, it has to be thrown away. (not returned to the meat case) This is because they have no idea how long the customer walked around the store with the item. However, if it is a FROZEN turkey, the same rule applies. It is the same for dairy. Also, all of the bakery items are thrown away if they are not sold by the sell by date. They are still good for several days, just not sold yet. The store writes it off. (yes, "shrink") It is crazy! Oh, and there are kids starving in the USA too, not just Africa.........

Since it's illegal, I wouldn't consider it unless I was on the street and was trying to keep my children from starvation.

No way would I do it....and if your money is that tight...how do you usually shop at Trader Joes...to me it is expensive and upscale?

I've considered doing it, but our local stores have started locking their dumpsters.

Around here it's called foraging. Dumpster Diving is a form of social engineering in which you go through people's garbage looking for personal information. (Typically identity thieves do this.)

I say go for it. A lot of times the stores put fresh produce out in boxes and don't put it in the dumpster. The dumpster gets boxed and packaged goods. Typically it's good (as in it's still edible) and as long as you wash the fruits and veggies you'll be fine.

Enjoy the free food!

I have never done this. Thankfully we are in a good financial position, which I am grateful for every day. But I can tell you that if I were ever in a bad financial position, I would do whatever it took to feed my family. You do what you have to do! Just be careful not to get sick on bad food. Good luck.

If it were either that or my family would go hungry or eat malnutritious empty food id totally do it!

For the time being though ill stay out of the dumpsters and leave it to those who need it or want to go green to the extreme.

BY THE WAY ........it seems wayyyyy more socially responsible than food stamps. I wouldnt look down on someone using food stamps so i certainly would not look down on someone making waste........useful.

I used to go to panera bread right before they closed and id buy 2 bagels....they would give me the rest of the ones that were baked and not sold for free, sometimes this added up to 15 or more bagels. My husband and i would give it to random homeless people in the area. Companies do waste food this way quite often.....its policy.

ONLY if it were a matter of eating or NOT (for more than a day or two). But seriously: when I was trying to save money, I made my OWN bread (super cheap) and if you don't know how to do that, you can go to places like a Mrs Baird's outlet for day old bread or whatever. I planted my OWN vegetable garden so it could be as organic as I wanted (we did this more for fun and education with my kids, but we also enjoyed eating what we liked without paying silly prices for things that weren't even ripe in a store: we did small potatoes, onions, green onions, bellpeppers, jalepenos, anaheim chiles, cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes, and okra ....and in a separate section we did strawberries, for a fraction of the price to buy, and we did composting for the garden). There are better ways to go about it. You should be pretty desperate before you go crawling into things and risking issues with bacteria and the law.....like, desperate enough to NOT have internet service, for instance. Otherwise, leave the food for others who ARE desperate and don't have options.
All that said, I agree with Jen above---I worked at Delchamps grocery as a teen (in the deli/bakery) and my friend is currently a manager at a Winn Dixie grocery down south. They throw their food out. I don't know why or how decisions like this get made, because I have ALSO volunteered at the DFW metro food bank and they DO get breads and baked goods donated, so.....who knows. But I remember thinking it was really weird to throw out food that wasn't ruined, if not sold by the sell by date....I asked about it, and they said if someone got sick they could sue and since this is a sue-happy country, they throw the food away. But again......in a different state, volunteering at the food bank, we did receive breads and stuff from stores. My job was to check dates and box goods, and carry them for the elderly because the boxes hurt elder peoples' hands. I think it's a case by case basis, not a blanket rule for the entire country. This is a very big country, so the rules are varied. But I still wouldn't take items reserved for desperate people if I had some luxuries I could still get rid of.

Unless I am too tired to read this right, I don't see anything in your post that says that YOU shop at Trader Joes, as Kiki thinks from reading your post. Maybe I am understanding wrong. But it sounds like your friends do.

I will tell you that having worked in a food pantry, some of the food belongs in the dumpster, but comes to the pantry in time to go out the door the next day. And it needs to be eaten pretty fast. The stuff that is out of date just by a bit usually lasts a bit longer.

I feel bad, L., for you having to do this. But I wouldn't think badly of you for it. And I hope you don't let anyone else let you feel bad either.

Dawn

No, I don't eat trash!!

I have heard of the documentary and it is amazing how much perfectly good food is thrown away. But to me, if something is in the garbage, it IS garbage.

If I had no other option to feed my family, I wouldn't hesitate.

No, I haven't done it.

Our grocery stores here typically don't throw their food out - they give it to the local shelters and food banks - so what is typically in the dumpster is truly rotten food.

We have a Trader Joes near my home - however, I don't think I would consider going there in search for food...organic or not...thank you. No.

I had friends that did it. Mainly for bread. Now, stores are onto it and will lock it down - which I find stupid. Same as returning a taco to Taco Bell and they trash it, even though you say not to -- But, that's America waste for you. Yet, kids are starving in Africa.

Have you or your husband considered going to a food bank/pantry to help supplement your family?? What about food stamps? With an income that low you should be able to qualify for some sort of assistance like wic or food stamps and food banks dont ask for proof of income.. I honestly would be weirded out knowing the food came from a dumpster.. and to stick up for trader joes I find them very inexpensive considering the quality of their product and encourage people to shop there. I am going to try to watch that movie you mentioned tonight if I can find it on netflix.

I say you have to do what you have to do to provide for your family. I don't think you should be ashamed or embrassed by anything that provides for your family. As long as the food isn't spoiled, then I don't see a problem at all. I wish I had the guts to do it myself!

I see no reason not to do it if you do it safely (ie, wear gloves, use a stick to poke around, to scare off vermin, etc.). There is a book out there called The Art & Science of Dumpster Diving (http://www.amazon.com/Science-Dumpster-Diving-John-Hoffma...) with tips & ideas, etc. The author tells how his quality of life was greatly improved by his own parents' diving. It is an interesting & useful read.

will be interested to see what is said! if this is safe i may do it! why do they throw out food?

Updated

will be interested to see what is said! if this is safe i may do it! why do they throw out food?