Shocking discovery by Coles shopper infuriates other customers—What did they find?
- Replies 18
In an age where the cost of living is soaring, and food security is a growing concern, the sight of perfectly good produce being discarded can strike a nerve with many Australians.
This was the case for a Coles shopper in Sydney who stumbled upon a scene that left him—and many others in the community—frustrated and heartbroken.
The man, who stumbled upon the shocking sight behind the Coles store in Rose Bay, took to social media to share his discovery.
He posted several photos showing the bin tipped over, its contents—including tomatoes, potatoes, celery, onions, and nectarines, some still in their plastic bags—spilling onto the street.
'Except for an overripe banana, all of the produce was in excellent condition, as you can see clearly in these photos,' he wrote.
The man expressed his frustration at the sight, especially considering the rising cost of groceries.
'Not sure about the rest of you, but I went grocery shopping for the family last weekend and felt sick at the cash register because of the total cost of our shopping,' he said.
The post quickly garnered attention, with many locals expressing their dismay at the wastage and describing it as ‘heartbreaking and cruel’.
‘Food wastage is such a tragic issue when so many are going hungry/not able to eat nutritious food,’ a person commented.
Another said, ‘It’s such a huge, disgusting waste.’
One woman shared her experience of finding no sweet potatoes in the store, only to see a pile discarded outside.
'Not one sweet potato in store, and then a heap [were] on the floor looking perfectly fine outside! I almost stopped and grabbed some,' she said.
Some social media followers also wondered why the food wasn't donated to local shelters or charities.
It also highlighted the ongoing issue of food wastage in Australia, a country where an estimated 3.7 million households experience food insecurity each year, according to Foodbank Australia.
Coles, along with other supermarket chains like Woolworths, has previously faced criticism for their 'unrealistic beauty standards' for produce, leading to the discarding of fruits and vegetables that are perfectly edible but don't meet the aesthetic criteria.
In response to the complaint, a Coles spokesperson stated they were 'concerned to learn of your dissatisfaction and extend our apologies.'
They added that the supermarket recognises food waste as a significant issue in Australia and supports industry reform to address the problem.
Coles has been partnering with SecondBite since 2011 to provide meals for those in need and launched its 'I'm Perfect' range in 2019, featuring produce that is 'slightly flawed in appearance'.
The supermarket also claimed to have donated nearly 20,000 tonnes of food, equivalent to over 39 million meals, to rescue organisations SecondBite and hunger relief charity Foodbank in the last financial year.
‘We have other food waste solutions, including donations to farmers and animal or wildlife services as well as organic food collections,’ the company added.
However, a report from The Australia Institute last year suggested that food retailers profited up to $1.2 billion annually from the products being thrown away.
‘If the average rate of profit across the industry is 6.1 per cent, and we assume that the $19.3 billion worth of food wasted by households returned this average profit, then the profit earned on the wasted food was $1.2 billion,' the report explained.
You can read more about that here.
What are your thoughts on this issue, members? Have you noticed similar instances of food wastage in your local supermarkets? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
This was the case for a Coles shopper in Sydney who stumbled upon a scene that left him—and many others in the community—frustrated and heartbroken.
The man, who stumbled upon the shocking sight behind the Coles store in Rose Bay, took to social media to share his discovery.
He posted several photos showing the bin tipped over, its contents—including tomatoes, potatoes, celery, onions, and nectarines, some still in their plastic bags—spilling onto the street.
A Coles shopper spotted a bin full of discarded food. Source: Facebook
'Except for an overripe banana, all of the produce was in excellent condition, as you can see clearly in these photos,' he wrote.
The man expressed his frustration at the sight, especially considering the rising cost of groceries.
'Not sure about the rest of you, but I went grocery shopping for the family last weekend and felt sick at the cash register because of the total cost of our shopping,' he said.
The post quickly garnered attention, with many locals expressing their dismay at the wastage and describing it as ‘heartbreaking and cruel’.
‘Food wastage is such a tragic issue when so many are going hungry/not able to eat nutritious food,’ a person commented.
Another said, ‘It’s such a huge, disgusting waste.’
Locals expressed dismay at the wasted food. Source: Facebook
One woman shared her experience of finding no sweet potatoes in the store, only to see a pile discarded outside.
'Not one sweet potato in store, and then a heap [were] on the floor looking perfectly fine outside! I almost stopped and grabbed some,' she said.
Some social media followers also wondered why the food wasn't donated to local shelters or charities.
It also highlighted the ongoing issue of food wastage in Australia, a country where an estimated 3.7 million households experience food insecurity each year, according to Foodbank Australia.
Coles, along with other supermarket chains like Woolworths, has previously faced criticism for their 'unrealistic beauty standards' for produce, leading to the discarding of fruits and vegetables that are perfectly edible but don't meet the aesthetic criteria.
In response to the complaint, a Coles spokesperson stated they were 'concerned to learn of your dissatisfaction and extend our apologies.'
They added that the supermarket recognises food waste as a significant issue in Australia and supports industry reform to address the problem.
Coles has been partnering with SecondBite since 2011 to provide meals for those in need and launched its 'I'm Perfect' range in 2019, featuring produce that is 'slightly flawed in appearance'.
The supermarket also claimed to have donated nearly 20,000 tonnes of food, equivalent to over 39 million meals, to rescue organisations SecondBite and hunger relief charity Foodbank in the last financial year.
‘We have other food waste solutions, including donations to farmers and animal or wildlife services as well as organic food collections,’ the company added.
However, a report from The Australia Institute last year suggested that food retailers profited up to $1.2 billion annually from the products being thrown away.
‘If the average rate of profit across the industry is 6.1 per cent, and we assume that the $19.3 billion worth of food wasted by households returned this average profit, then the profit earned on the wasted food was $1.2 billion,' the report explained.
You can read more about that here.
What are your thoughts on this issue, members? Have you noticed similar instances of food wastage in your local supermarkets? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
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with one rotten one discarded pumpkins 
the same broccoli 
, cauliflower etc all went to the cow's and pig's disgusting 
