According to Yahoo News, former President of Trader Joe’s, Doug Rauch, has recently announced his intent to implement a plan that would turn expired food into cheap and nutritious meals.
This program, called the Daily Table, would involve preparing meals using food that is slightly past its expiration date. This concept is aimed at lower-income consumers in the Boston area.
The first market will open early next year in Dorchester, Massachusetts according to National Public Radio.
As Yahoo News points out, and I would also like to emphasize, this really links to a much larger issue: food waste, and waste in general, is an enormous problem in the United States.
As soon as we reach that little printed date on the package, the food, regardless of the quantity that remains, goes right in the trash.
Likewise, most cafeterias and restaurants discard any unsold food at the end of the night, regardless of freshness.
According to the article, it’s estimated that as much as 40 percent of food is thrown away due to expiration dates, which amounts to about 160 million pounds of food every year while about 50 million Americans are struggling to put food on the table.
The most regrettable part about this issue is that this food is thrown away needlessly due to confusion over what that little black expiration date actually means.
For example, stores intend to display items that are at the peak of freshness, therefore, the “sell by” date only indicates the date on which to rotate their products and remove items from the shelf.
In addition, the “expiration” date (which most people use to determine when food is no longer edible), refers strictly to quality, not safety.
This date is recommended for best flavor and freshness.
By no means does this date indicate that the product is no longer safe to eat after that day has passed.
I’ll admit my initial reaction to this news was something along the lines of “Gross!”
I can only imagine that most people will react similarly and meet Dough Rauch’s proposal with skepticism.
The idea of preparing and selling expired food just doesn’t sound very appetizing.
However, as I read on, I realized my reaction was one of disgust only because of my ignorance of the concept of “expiration dates.”
I had also failed to recognize before reading this article that there were so many people struggling to put food on their family’s table in the U.S. and that there was so much extra food available that could potentially alleviate this problem to some degree.
Likewise, I, and most people I know, are major contributors to this waste predicament.
It is crucial to note the value of this retail plan and others like it.
Consuming food that is slightly past its expiration date is far safer than having an insufficient amount to eat or nothing at all, which is the plight of 50 million Americans.
Just because a product has “expired” does not mean that it destined for the dumpster.
It can still be put to good use and it should be.
If this plan will put food on the tables of struggling families then I actually find it quite appealing.
It is important to remember how fortunate most of us are in that we don’t have to struggle for food. So remember, the next time your going to throw something away because they label says it’s expired or maybe you simply don’t want it, think of the people who would otherwise be happy to have that food.
We can all try to be a little less wasteful and a little more thankful.
Bridget Goedke
Viewpoints Editor
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