Power outage causes supermarkets to dump a staggering amount of fresh produce: 'Such a shame to see this much going to waste'

The recent power outages in Victoria have not only left hundreds of thousands of Australians in the dark but have also led to a heartbreaking scene in supermarkets across the state.

The power outages have resulted in thousands of dollars worth of fresh produce being deemed 'unsafe' for sale and dumped in industrial bins outside supermarkets.

The incident, which occurred after a severe storm disrupted power supply in the area, has sparked a heated debate about food wastage and the need for better contingency plans.



A poignant note posted in one of the affected stores read, 'Please do not purchase dairy, meat or frozen products as their quality may be compromised due to recent power outage.'

'Apologies for the inconvenience!'


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Supermarket customers were advised not to purchase some items due to the recent power outage. Image source: Reddit.


The aftermath of the power outage was still evident on Wednesday morning, with one Victorian resident reporting that their local stores were still 'empty'.

They shared their experience on social media, stating, 'All dairy, fancy cheese, and meat [are] all gone. Our power was off from like 3:45 pm until 12:30 am, so it was off for quite a while and pretty warm outside.'



A photograph of the 'skip full of milk' was also posted online by a shopper, triggering a wave of reactions.

Many expressed dismay at the sight of such a large quantity of milk going to waste.

'Such a shame to see this much milk going to waste,' one said.


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An industrial bin outside Coles was seen overflowing with wasted milk after a severe storm. Image source: Reddit.


However, a person claiming to work in the dairy industry commented that a 'lot more gets wasted every day'.

While the sight of wasted milk is indeed distressing, it's important to understand the broader context.

The dairy industry, like many other sectors, operates on a delicate balance of supply and demand.

Any disruption, such as a power outage, can tip the scales and lead to wastage, as seen in a Woolworths store after a power outage in 2022.



Retail Expert Professor Gary Mortimer, however, disagreed with the dairy worker's comment.

'From my experience, milk was one product that would be rarely wasted,' Professor Mortimer said.

'The high turnover nature of the product means supermarkets would rarely mark down or dispose of milk.'

He further explained that every player in the supply chain would strive to reduce waste as it directly impacts their profits.

'Logistics and transport companies would want to maintain the cold chain, to reduce waste, and therefore loss.'

'Producers, equally would want to reduce waste—again, because waste during production and bottling would erode their profits.'

'The same would hold for supermarkets. Today, supermarkets use highly advanced inventory systems to ensure highly perishable products are not over-ordered.'

Australian supermarkets are also required to adhere to strict health and safety regulations, including keeping fresh food such as meat and dairy at a certain temperature to avoid spoilage. If they cannot be kept at a certain temperature, they cannot be sold and must be discarded.



A Coles spokesperson confirmed that around 30 stores across Victoria lost power during the recent wild weather.

'All of our stores are now back open, and our team is working hard today to restock our shelves, so we can continue to serve the community,' the spokesperson said.

While most stores were able to resume operations quickly, some were without power for longer, leading to the unfortunate disposal of food.

'At Coles, food safety is paramount—and unfortunately, the food we are disposing of is unsafe for sale or to be donated to food rescue charities.'

Woolworths, another major supermarket chain, also reported power outages at more than 30 of its stores due to the unexpected storm.

'Given the evolving situation, we’re currently operating six other stores by generators. Stores throughout the worst affected areas (Gippsland, Dandenong) may trade with restricted hours due to limited generator capacity,' a spokesperson from Woolworths said.

'It’s expected we’ll need to discard a number of refrigerated products, including dairy, poultry, milk and frozen food. This is in keeping with strict food safety protocols.'



Stores running on generators will reportedly not receive any refrigerated deliveries until their main power supply returns to normal.

Customers were advised to check their supermarket’s website or Google to stay updated with the store’s trading hours.

Restoration and clean-up efforts in Victoria continue today after almost 530,000 homes lost power on Tuesday due to the unexpected powerplant shutdown.

More than 80,000 homes and businesses are reportedly still without power as repair crews work to fix the powerlines destroyed by the severe winds and storms that swept across the state.

Key Takeaways

  • Severe storms in Victoria have caused widespread power outages, impacting over 60 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets and causing substantial food wastage.
  • Images shared online illustrated the extent of the wasted products, with items filling up skip bins and blocking supermarket aisles.
  • Both Coles and Woolworths stressed the importance of food safety, with Coles commenting on the unfortunate but necessary disposal of unsafe food and Woolworths operating some stores using generators with limited capacity.
  • More than 80,000 homes and businesses across the state are reportedly still without power.
Our thoughts are with those affected by the recent storm. We hope you are all safe.

Members, what are your thoughts on this issue? Have you witnessed similar incidents of food wastage? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
 
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Why don't these stores invest in a backup system that just looks after the Fridges & Freezers, so when blackouts occur, they kick in until electricity is restored and then they go back on main power.
Could you imagine how many back up systems all the supermarkets would have to buy. Something like the power outage in Victoria might never happen again. They would have to back up every store in Australia. Then they might get flooded like Far North Queensland and now Northern Territory. As sad as it is seeing all this waste, it's better than poisoning vulnerable people
 
Could you imagine how many back up systems all the supermarkets would have to buy. Something like the power outage in Victoria might never happen again. They would have to back up every store in Australia. Then they might get flooded like Far North Queensland and now Northern Territory. As sad as it is seeing all this waste, it's better than poisoning vulnerable people
A 10kva would be a spend of maybe $20k at each store to just keep the cold cabinets going. They're obviously saving more than that on self serve checkouts.
 
Why don't these stores invest in a backup system that just looks after the Fridges & Freezers, so when blackouts occur, they kick in until electricity is restored and then they go back on main power.
That would give the stores yet another excuse to raise prices even more. But I do agree that a back up generator or whatever would be ideal in situations such as mentioned in the article.
 
Ling life milk should be OK. We keep 3 or 4 cartons in the cupboard and a couple in the fridge every week and have no problems with the milk. So I hope they are not tossing out this milk.
 
In Aged care facility I worked we were having a lot of blackouts. Management installed a compressor at cost of approx. $20,000. this only ran a cool room, small commercial freezer and a couple of commercial fridges. However, blackouts were no longer an issue.
 
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Reactions: Liz and Bridgit
Chucking out cheese because it has gone off? Cheese is milk that has been induced to go off. That is why we have mature and" tasty" and "vintage" supermarket cheeses". In countries that know how to make a wide variety of good cheeses, the longer the cheese sits in a cellar the better it is. And even plastic-wrapped Kiwi Cheddar (same as the dull and boring Australian supermarket Cheddar cheese) can be improved by leaving it in its plastic wrapping in a hot, dark room for a couple of months. After which, hold your nose, open the plastic wrapper and throw it away, slice off all the horrible and unsightly black and green mould, cut off all the fat that the block of cheese has become coated with and you are left with a sharp, crumbly white cheese that when sliced thinly goes well with olives on a slice of fresh crispy white bread......... But at your own risk.
 
An undisciplined over reaction. Chest freezers hold their cool for a longer time.
If a frozen product is no longer frozen, is that not the same as defrosting it before cooking? There are many charities with cooking facilities that could have promptly cooked up defrosted foods.
This all makes as much sense as use by dates on Himalayan salt that is centuries old.
 
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Reactions: relljube and Rob44
Why don't these stores invest in a backup system that just looks after the Fridges & Freezers, so when blackouts occur, they kick in until electricity is restored and then they go back on main power.
exactly!!!!! Poor planning.... every Target store I managed had back up generators that had to be tested fortnightly
 
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Reactions: Liz and Rob44
What happened to going "green" and using solar power instead? These have batteries to store electricity. I would have thought that this was an option to diesel/petrol powered generators.
 
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Reactions: IAN3005
Ling life milk should be OK. We keep 3 or 4 cartons in the cupboard and a couple in the fridge every week and have no problems with the milk. So I hope they are not tossing out this milk.
Um don't think they're as dumb as that comment.
 
I hope that they randomly sampled 5% to 10% of supposedly affected stock and checked and recorded the internal and external temperatures. If these were found to be above maximum acceptable then some of the products could have been sent for microbiological testing. If the products failed these tests then dump them. If they passed then sell them. It was a traditional quality method used until the early 1990's and called Quality Control.
 
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Reactions: Reaper123
I hope that they randomly sampled 5% to 10% of supposedly affected stock and checked and recorded the internal and external temperatures. If these were found to be above maximum acceptable then some of the products could have been sent for microbiological testing. If the products failed these tests then dump them. If they passed then sell them. It was a traditional quality method used until the early 1990's and called Quality Control.
How long does that take?
Would be too much trouble for them. Easier to dump and then load up the prices.
 
It is cheaper to waste food.
Because, if they could get the batteries, they would need to charge them up leaving the food at unacceptable temperatures for longer resulting in more waste and greenhouse gases being produced and increasing the costs to the consumer. I believe that they have chosen the most realistic and cost effective way of getting these stores operating.
 

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