Shocking discovery by Coles shopper infuriates other customers—What did they find?

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.


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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.’


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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.

Key Takeaways
  • A man discovered a bin full of food waste containing produce in mostly 'excellent condition' behind a Coles supermarket in Sydney.
  • The man's post on social media sparked a reaction, with many lamenting the perceived waste and the missed opportunity to donate to those in need.
  • Coles responded with an apology and stated that they recognise the issue of food waste, supporting industry reform and their commitment to food donation initiatives.
  • Coles mentioned its partnership with food rescue organisations and outlined its efforts to combat food waste and hunger by donating nearly 20,000 tonnes of food in the last financial year.

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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I personally haven't seen wastage of good produce but with each passing grocery shop I am becoming very disgruntled at the condition of the produce in my local Coles store. Yesterday the prices had gone up significantly for wilted iceberg lettuce, yellowing broccoli, nearly off beans and bags of carrots that are so moist they have to washed and dried before storing otherwise rotten in days. Not good enough Coles.
 
I refuse to buy my fruit and vegies at the major supermarkets. I have the choice to go to a fruit and vegie shop so I will continue to go to them. It just stops the big supermarkets from getting the monopoly and then charging us people whatever they like. After reading this article Coles need a good look at.
 
Believe it or not but that’s what a lot of shops here in WA do instead of giving it to a charity, the mining camps are the worst, the amount of food they waste per day would make your skin crawl, most people are aware of it but nobody seems to care over here….Rick
 
Also the possibility some dumpster diver has toppled the bin when climbing in to discover the produce wasn't worth the effort. I'd suggest the food donation mobs would have said NO thanks. Much the same as the charity shops say no to soiled and broken stuff that someone just wants to be rid of. Not fit for sale. Equally, the consumer has to be held answerable to this waste, the supermarkets are expected to have everything available all through the trading day. Obviously, handled produce soils quickly, watch the number of people riffling through non package produce and no consideration how they discard if what they see isn't up to expectation.
 
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Reactions: KaraJenna
Believe it or not but that’s what a lot of shops here in WA do instead of giving it to a charity, the mining camps are the worst, the amount of food they waste per day would make your skin crawl, most people are aware of it but nobody seems to care over here….Rick
Are the mining camps isolated ? If so what other options do they have??
 
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Reactions: rayd72
I personally haven't seen wastage of good produce but with each passing grocery shop I am becoming very disgruntled at the condition of the produce in my local Coles store. Yesterday the prices had gone up significantly for wilted iceberg lettuce, yellowing broccoli, nearly off beans and bags of carrots that are so moist they have to washed and dried before storing otherwise rotten in days. Not good enough Coles.
At times I have received similar in my on line order , why have wilted and off food on the shelves
 
two sides to every story ...I used to have a cake shop and when closed at midday Saturday I would offer the unsold cakes to the local nursing home for free...but the conditions I had to meet were impossible, individual wraps, list of ingredients,callories, and be delivered at a specific time packed in a certain way...so...in the bin they went...I tried giving them away to my customers for free ..but..that killed sales, everyone waited til midday to get cakes for free so..in the bin they go..
 
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Reactions: Veggiepatch
I found out that the bananas and potatoes were 50cent each cheaper than Coles or Woolworths at Karringal hub, also a 2l of Pepsi Max in the reject shop is $2-90 compared to wollies $4-50 Coles $3-60 Aldi $3-19
 
Seems to me, CEO's of Coles and WW dribble more shit than the government. In all the time I worked at Coles I never knew of them to donate SFA.
 
Hey! Nobody has the right to tell another what to throw out or not. Not even YOU! You can put perfectly good things on the curb to be taken to the tip; and so can any store. Sure it would be better for YOU and the stores to make better use of their possessions but only the owner of an item gets to decide the ultimate destination (the trash or a needy person). Now go sit down and reflect on this and think about it the next time YOU decide to chuck perfectly good stuff in your bin when YOU could have chosen to give it to someone needy.
 
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Reactions: rayd72
Seen it years ago a bloke picked up the waste from Woolworths and the amount of produce that was discarded was unbelievable boxes of tomatoes 🍅 with one rotten one discarded pumpkins 🎃 the same broccoli 🥦, cauliflower etc all went to the cow's and pig's disgusting 😳
 
I asked many years ago if I could take the waste produce home to put in my compost bins. This was denied because of some obscure council regulation I can no longer remember. Just a suggestion, councils could start community composting bins utilising this waste and use it to beautify their areas.
 
Quite frankly, any food waste, as in that bin, and the comments made, is disgusting. There are so many homeless people who rely on Charities to feed them, but also Pensioners, either Senior, or Solo Parents, who could use that food. Have a special bin, in store, so they can access it. I`m sure most people would not abuse it. It would be checked out at the checkout anyway. Of course there will always be some who will abuse anything, but unfortunately that is what we have to put up with in todays world.
 
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Reactions: 52-KID
Believe it or not but that’s what a lot of shops here in WA do instead of giving it to a charity, the mining camps are the worst, the amount of food they waste per day would make your skin crawl, most people are aware of it but nobody seems to care over here….Rick
I worked in catering in mine camps believe me not alot of wastage there. the mining companies only pay the caterers pittance to feed the miners about $15-20 a day not per meal!
 
Instead of throwing out the product, why don't they put it on special ? Lately it is so hard to find anything price reduced, on special, at one stage I was told by a sales person that if a product expire date is the next day, they are not allowed to sell it ! even for half the price ! I don't think it makes any sense, if I am the business owner I would prefer to sell for less than throwing out that product !
 
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Reactions: Ezzy
It’s not just Supermarkets that waste food. At one shopping centre in Perth, Bakers delight staff have to throw all in sold bread etc. in the bin. They do this in front of customer. I have asked them several times why not donate the food but apparently the owner refuse to do so. I even asked if I could buy some produce at a reduced price. Not happening. Miss Mauds staff also do the same with unsold pies and sandwiches but keep cakes to sell the following day. Go figure
 

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