Food waste fiasco: Woolies under fire for throwing away bread
- Replies 12
Many of us have experienced the frustration of seeing good food go to waste, especially during times of financial hardship and hunger. It can feel like a cruel injustice that perfectly edible food is being thrown away while so many others struggle to put food on their tables.
This issue recently came to a head when a photo was shared on Facebook showing an overflowing rubbish bin at a local Woolworths in Sydney.
According to the shopper who saw the incident, the bin was filled with artisan bread from The Bread & Butter Project, a social enterprise.
This sparked a wave of anger and disappointment as people voiced their concerns about food wastage and the ongoing hunger crisis in Australia.
When the shopper asked the employees about the food waste, they told her they were not 'allowed' to give it away, even though it was still perfectly edible.
When she went on to inquire whether the pieces of bread were at least going to a local charity, all she was told was that the grocery store also wasn't allowed to donate the bread, even at a discounted price, due to 'an agreement between the brand and Woolies'.
'They are forced to throw it away,' she wrote in her Facebook post.
Understandably, commenters on the Facebook post about the incident were outraged, especially considering Woolworths' existing partnerships with organisations like OzHarvest that focus on providing food rescue services.
The Bread & Butter Project is a social enterprise bakery that invests 100% of its profits into providing training and employment pathways for people seeking refuge and asylum who aspire to become bakers.
When they got wind of the situation at Woolworths, they reached out to the woman who posted the photo.
'Our excess bread typically goes to organisations like OzHarvest and Food Pantry. We're investigating and will be back in touch. Thanks again for bringing it to our attention,' said a representative.
Woolworths has made efforts to reduce food waste in their stores and has set a goal to divert 100% of food waste from landfill by 2025. They have partnerships with local hunger relief charities to ensure that food that can't be sold goes to good use, either through donations or animal feed.
However, the recent incident at the Bondi Metro store highlights that there is still work to be done.
In a statement, a Woolworths spokesperson said that their local food rescue partners generally find donated bread easy to source and that the Bondi Metro store sends any further leftover stock to organic waste.
The company is focused on deepening its partnerships with existing hunger relief agencies, while also exploring further opportunities to divert surplus edible food.
Many people are forced to go without food, rely on food banks, or choose low-quality and unhealthy options simply because they can't afford anything else.
This reality is especially hard to swallow when considering the abundance of food being wasted by supermarkets and retailers across the country.
It's clear that something needs to be done to address this issue, whether it's through increased awareness and education, government intervention, or changes to the way the food industry operates as a whole.
Did you know that food waste is a massive problem here in Australia?
The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study estimates that it costs our economy a staggering $36.6 billion, or $2,000 to $2,500 per household every year.
Australian households throw out a whopping 2.46 million tonnes of food every year. And to make matters worse, 70% of the 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted in Australia is perfectly edible.
That's the equivalent of one in five bags of groceries or a staggering 312kg per person.
What are your thoughts on this, members? How do you think supermarkets should handle unsold food? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
This issue recently came to a head when a photo was shared on Facebook showing an overflowing rubbish bin at a local Woolworths in Sydney.
According to the shopper who saw the incident, the bin was filled with artisan bread from The Bread & Butter Project, a social enterprise.
This sparked a wave of anger and disappointment as people voiced their concerns about food wastage and the ongoing hunger crisis in Australia.
A shopper shared a photo from her local Woolies, which showed a red waste bin overflowing with artisan bread from The Bread & Butter Project. Credit: Facebook.
When the shopper asked the employees about the food waste, they told her they were not 'allowed' to give it away, even though it was still perfectly edible.
When she went on to inquire whether the pieces of bread were at least going to a local charity, all she was told was that the grocery store also wasn't allowed to donate the bread, even at a discounted price, due to 'an agreement between the brand and Woolies'.
'They are forced to throw it away,' she wrote in her Facebook post.
Understandably, commenters on the Facebook post about the incident were outraged, especially considering Woolworths' existing partnerships with organisations like OzHarvest that focus on providing food rescue services.
The Bread & Butter Project is a social enterprise bakery that invests 100% of its profits into providing training and employment pathways for people seeking refuge and asylum who aspire to become bakers.
When they got wind of the situation at Woolworths, they reached out to the woman who posted the photo.
'Our excess bread typically goes to organisations like OzHarvest and Food Pantry. We're investigating and will be back in touch. Thanks again for bringing it to our attention,' said a representative.
Shoppers could not get the food at a discount or for free because employees were 'unfortunately not allowed' to give the items away. Credit: Facebook/The Bread & Butter Project.
Woolworths has made efforts to reduce food waste in their stores and has set a goal to divert 100% of food waste from landfill by 2025. They have partnerships with local hunger relief charities to ensure that food that can't be sold goes to good use, either through donations or animal feed.
However, the recent incident at the Bondi Metro store highlights that there is still work to be done.
In a statement, a Woolworths spokesperson said that their local food rescue partners generally find donated bread easy to source and that the Bondi Metro store sends any further leftover stock to organic waste.
The company is focused on deepening its partnerships with existing hunger relief agencies, while also exploring further opportunities to divert surplus edible food.
This reality is especially hard to swallow when considering the abundance of food being wasted by supermarkets and retailers across the country.
It's clear that something needs to be done to address this issue, whether it's through increased awareness and education, government intervention, or changes to the way the food industry operates as a whole.
From home kitchens and dining places, massive volumes of wholesome, edible food are often wasted or left over and thrown away. Credit: Pexels/Kate Trifo.
Did you know that food waste is a massive problem here in Australia?
The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study estimates that it costs our economy a staggering $36.6 billion, or $2,000 to $2,500 per household every year.
Australian households throw out a whopping 2.46 million tonnes of food every year. And to make matters worse, 70% of the 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted in Australia is perfectly edible.
That's the equivalent of one in five bags of groceries or a staggering 312kg per person.
What are your thoughts on this, members? How do you think supermarkets should handle unsold food? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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I do wonder how people are raised nowadays re food wastage, as we watched a large party of young men do this at our local cafe last Saturday. Huge breakfast plates and pancakes were ordered, then some were hardly touched and left behind. ‘More money than sense’ came to mind. 
