It is estimated that each year 80 billion pounds of food is wasted in the US. The largest share of that, 43%, is at consumers’ homes. Nearly as much (40%) is at the retail level (restaurants, food service, grocery stores). Of that retail slice around 30% is at grocery stores – a staggering 9.6 billion pounds per year.

The term that is used is “surplus groceries” and that includes products nearing or at the end of their shelf life, fresh produce that is in decline, and damaged or otherwise compromised items.

The estimated value of this category of food waste is estimated to be twice the amount of profit from the food that is sold. Obviously, the grocery industry is concerned about this loss and looking for solutions.

The best option would be to reduce the rate at which surplus food is generated, and the next best option is to give the food away to people in need. Stores can often partner with food kitchens or other charitable organizations to facilitate that process.

The third best option is to find ways is to use this surplus human food to feed animals, but that is not an easy connection to make from an urban setting. There is a start-up company, Do Good Foods, that is addressing that limitation by creating a network to collect the non-contributable food from the stores, process it, and then use it as part of the feed on poultry farms.

Then they market the chicken products under their “Do Good Chicken” brand.

Read More