Truckloads of food are being wasted because computers won’t approve them
Posted by ahmtiarrrd@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 31 comments
"Modern food systems may look stable on the surface, but they are increasingly dependent on digital systems that can quietly become a major point of failure. Today, food must be “recognized” by databases and automated platforms to be transported, sold, or even released, meaning that if systems go down, food can effectively become unusable—even when it’s physically available."
Solo_Camping_Girl@reddit
my father used to work at a grocery store in Canada, and we were surprised that produce that were "substandard" and can't be sold would absolutely still be at the shelves in my home country, let alone still perfectly edible. This is probably why farmer's markets have their place, nobody cares about misshapen or slightly beaten up produce so long as you can still eat it.
Head_Leadership_2108@reddit
In France 10 years ago there was an anti food waste campaign to promote “ugly fruits and vegetables”. Retailers bought substandard goods from producers, sold it 30% cheaper and created a “ugly fruits and veggies” product line (eg. Ugly veggies soup). IIRC at first only one retailer did it but the competition followed because consumers’ reaction was very positive.
Here’s the case study from the advertising agency
ahmtiarrrd@reddit (OP)
Fantastic! To change a mass behavior, change the narrative. That takes power. I'm glad that these people used their power for good.
Solo_Camping_Girl@reddit
honestly, soup kitchens and shelters would be more than happy to take those away. from where I live, a nearby convent would particularly ask the local market to buy up the meat scraps and bruised up produce for cheap in order to stretch their budget to feed the sisters.
this also reminds me of mcdonalds where they allegedly destroy unsold meals after sitting for a certain period. I may be wrong. Dude, I would honestly not complain about buying up an entire bucket of chicken nuggets for half the price or for free if it has been sitting in the counter for a day or two.
bbz00@reddit
Food poisoning is a rough way to go
Head_Leadership_2108@reddit
I don’t remember about McDonald’s but in France the scandal started because grocery shops poured detergents on trashed food (mostly still ok but passed the date) to discourage trash divers. A petition was initiated to make it illegal and to encourage giving away soon to be expired food to people in need. It was voted by the Parliament.
Now we have apps to order “unsold package” to local grocery shops and bakeries. It offers an in-between solution for people who are struggling but not to the level they need to go to charity and soup kitchens, and it lessen a bit the pressure on volunteer groups.
nlashawn1000@reddit
That’s crazy, meanwhile here in the states, Walmart quality of produce kind of sucks.
Cpt_Ohu@reddit
There is an interesting case in the EU. A directive was passed to standardize cucumbers according to their shape, with the top category specifying the exact angle the cucumber is allowed to bend.
It was lambasted as a clear sign of bureaucratic overreacting and fuelled EU critics arguments for years. It led to subpar cucumbers being discarded outright, as processing the subpar shapes was both harder and less profitable.
When it was finally canceled...the entire industrialized supply chain just kept using the standardization.
Solo_Camping_Girl@reddit
in the very least, turn those into pickles. there should be no reason to throw away perfectly edible food just for the looks. it's going to get sliced up anyway, aesthetics won't matter by then.
MoonAndStarsTarot@reddit
No Name brand has their “perfectly imperfect” line which has fruits and vegetables that are slightly bruised or browned but perfectly good. A lot of that produce gets turned into frozen fruit mixes too.
prabal34@reddit
The computers/AI is already killing us with this starvation.
NyriasNeo@reddit
In the US, we already waste 1/3 of our food, and we over-eat to the tune of a 40% obesity rate. So I doubt one more way of wasting food is going to move the needle much.
Front_River_2367@reddit
Are we sure the obesity epidemic is an overheating problem? Like don't get me wrong I'm a fat bitch that loves to eat, but I feel like if everyone only ate their daily caloric needs they'd still be fat. So much of our food is pumped full of HFCS and it's culturally/socially normal to eat meat for every single meal.
No-Papaya-9289@reddit
It’s not high fructose corn syrup that’s a problem. That’s a myth. It’s ultra processed food, especially those containing chemical chemicals that are endocrine disruptors.
Log12321@reddit
How calorie dense is high fructose syrup?
No-Papaya-9289@reddit
Almost exactly the same as any other sugar.
Log12321@reddit
Which is still calories with minimal nutrient associated. Part of the food processing issue in the states is how jacked up everything is with sugars and additives.
No-Papaya-9289@reddit
Sure, but it’s just replacing normal sugars. Endocrine disruptors have much more of an effect on hormones like leptin.
Log12321@reddit
Not arguing your point on disrupters, agreed. The replacement of a natural sugar in whole foods (fruits/vegetables) with a processed sugar source is the same sugar minus the vitamins and fibre you’d get from the fruit/vegetables.
No-Papaya-9289@reddit
So you’re saying that they are replacing the sugar in fruits and vegetables with high fructose corn syrup?
Log12321@reddit
???
No. I’m saying a diet that consists of whole foods instead of overly processed food will contain additional vitamins and nutrients that processed foods lack. Sugar source matters, because of the additional benefits or penalties associated with each source.
Prestigious_Wrap_932@reddit
No, but yes.
If you only ate your daily caloric needs your weight would remain completely steady. Weight is just calories in, calories out for the most part.
The problem is that hyper processed American food crams so many calories into such a small package and is designed to be as addictive as possible so it’s extremely easy to eat more than your daily caloric needs without realizing it.
onthestickagain@reddit
Not to mention the stress we’re all under. And we haven’t even scratched the surface of what microplastics & PFAS are doing to us.
Dialing in the right amount of calories isn’t gonna magically change our relationship with food or our bodies, and it’s not gonna fix broken systems.
CowBoyDanIndie@reddit
Ya but the food they are discarding is the food that would help reduce the obesity rate. Nobody ever got obese from binge eating apples.
desocupad0@reddit
I wonder how much malnutrition that state (usa) has despeite their obesity rates.
errie_tholluxe@reddit
If we told you and showed you facts and figures it would still be so insane you wouldn't believe it.
desocupad0@reddit
I liked the world of my infancy where I couldn't believe things because they were surreal.
Now everything is like "that's so shitty it must be true".
RealShabanella@reddit
/looks at small improvised garden with onions and rosemary/
How did we ever start using electricity for THIS?
acesorangeandrandoms@reddit
Yet another example of why price is more than just "supply and demand". There's a massive surplus of food and more of it goes to waste each year. And yet, prices still rise.
gwhh@reddit
Fracking toasters.
ShyElf@reddit
The gap in both and price and overall quality between the supermarkets here which have like 15 full-size stores and the big chains is massive and just keeps on growing. The latter are obviously using more tech, but when they scan a box of rotten fruit, I'm convinced they just stick it on the next truck. They're much stricter about size restrictions, but they don't seem to care much about any other quality indicators.
We don't even have it that bad compared to other places. From what I hear about the supermarkets in the Southeast, I wonder how most of them don't go bankrupt.