Why do Grocery Stores Waste Food? (Part 2: Liability and Logistics)

In part 1, we explored how grocery stores might come to have excess supply. In part 2, we will explore why a store simply do not donate their excess food instead of wastefully throwing them away.

When looking at corporate liability of the grocery store, we have to examine the goods in question. The food items in question are being thrown away because they are deemed no longer fit for sale, whether that be due to regulation on how long a particular type of good is lawfully allowed to be on the shelf for sale before being considered unfit for consumption, or in the case of pastries, no longer having the texture/taste desirable to consumers that make it salable.

Given the HUGE variety of ingredients, packaging, storage, and other legal considerations, it is not a simple matter when it comes to deciding what food goods are no longer fit for sale,  but also are no longer fit for healthy consumption.

Given the complexity of health safety standards and laws that businesses have to abide by, the possibility of incorrect distribution of foods leading to a health concern is certainly well within the realms of corporate concerns, as the burden of responsibility for causing said health issue would lie with the source of the distribution of food that are not fit for consumption.

With that in mind, let's consider what is at stake versus what is at risk. Donating excess supply of goods is an act of CHARITY, as in there is no monetary gain for the business, while there is HUGE risk in being hit by various lawsuits and even potentially being shut down. While everyone loves to evangelize selflessness and social charity, especially as it pertains to the "evil" and inanimate entity that is corporate businesses, it is important to realize that ultimately, businesses are a venture of self gain(I am NOT moralizing whether this is "good" or "evil", but am just making an observation on the motivations behind why people create/conduct businesses). If businesses were nothing but selfless, they simply would not exist in the first place or go out of business.

Lastly, let's explore the issue of logistics in the effort of distributing excess supply of food goods. In the case of Tesco, they are cooperating with charity organizations in distributing the goods to those who need them. However, there is a problem in the logistics of entrusting a third party organization with the handling of consumable goods, especially ones that are perishable.

While there are indeed charities that handle distribution of food to homeless and the likes, the circumstances in which these charities handle the food is vastly different from that of a grocery store that has prepackaged/precooked foods. Charities typically handle direct production of food goods and other types of consumables that are much easier to handle and store such as canned food.

In order to ensure compliance with food safety standards, the charity would require hiring of food experts, access to large amounts of specialized storage for different types of foods, and massive redistribution networks. Bottom line: these are not free. Given the non profit nature of charities, it is unlikely that they would have the sufficient financial capabilities of undertaking such a task, and would require significant assistance from the grocery store. Again, we increase the cost for the project for what is essentially zero benefit to the store.

While I am not against the idea of making use of existing goods rather than wastefully throwing them out, it is important to consider the difficulties that challenge such a venture before jumping the gun to criticize corporations for throwing away food. This is not a new issue either, as the problem of logistics have been an ever persist challenge for everyone since the realization of a post industrial world where a single unit of people are not fully self sufficient anymore and require the cooperation of other units. Certainly, this is a challenge that many cite as the primary blocker to stopping world hunger, as the world is sufficiently capable of producing enough to feed everyone, but are challenged from doing so by the logistical challenges in feeding someone half way across the world. With that said, if this is a successful project, I am hopeful that it will set a precedence for other major corporations to look at engaging in similar projects to help those in need.

This is my first set of articles and I am looking forward to writing more about a wide variety of subjects, including international politics, video games, and perhaps weightlifting. I am thinking of the following topics for the next article, but I haven't quite decided which one I want to write first.

• Rational Actors and Political Leaders (North Korea and Syria)
• Tribalism(sectarianism) Versus Nationalism (Middle East Division)
• Competitive Video Games and RNG (random number generator)
• The Phenomenon of "Herbivores" (What is it, what caused it, and what is it not?)
• China's Foreign Policy Strategy (What are their immediate goals?)

If you have any preferences, or suggestions on any topic that you would like for me to discuss, please let me know.

And of course, I am open to any comments or criticisms about my writing. I am always looking to improve my writing skills as well as my political knowledge.