Dairy products are very expensive despite the fact that they're produced right here, squeezed from our pastures and rivers, trundled along our roads, pasteurized, homogenised and whatever-else-ized in factories on the edges of our towns and presented to us in our supermarkets but we're wasting them!
Don't believe me?
Take a look at this photo sent to me today from an alert Southerner. He found these perfectly sound containers of perfectly good dairy products in the dumpster behind one of his local supermarkets, collected them up, took them home and converted them into a delicious and much sort-after cheese. This kind of waste is a regular phenomenon here in our green and pleasant land, (as is the recovery and consumption of such foods, those of you who abhor waste will be pleased to learn - if you didn't know it already.)
Are we so comfortable that we can afford to discard so much food in a seemingly careless manner?
Seems so.
10 comments:
Some supermarkets let foodbanks or other charities take food which is close to its use-by date to distribute to people in need.
That's great to hear Ele.
Those foodbanks are overloaded now, I'm reading and hearing, with people in need that is, not food.
Everyone should have a foodbank, I've always thought, in their own back yard.
Perhaps that particular parcel of food was accidentally not refrigerated promptly and the vendor didn't want to accidentally make some-one sick?
Nevertheless, it seems like we need to develop a food recycling market.
There must be lots of food that reaches use by dates that could be reconstituted into something else that extends the shelf life yet again.
I used to do a bit of work with supermarkets (years ago) and various charities did receive some good handouts. When I worked in a wholesale butchery during some of my university days, the SPCA got a lot of bones for the dogs and scraps for the cats. It was great.
Perhaps, zee tee, but my 'informant' tells me this is no isolated incident. I'm not so much pointing the finger at the supermarkets as supporting those who get in and intercept good food before it gets to the landfill.
Nice to hear about the bones-to-SPCA programme.
Sad to see product going to waste when people are struggling to put food on the table.
Hey who, nice to see you!
You're right about waste but isn't it great to see someone making something of it. I suspect that there will be more and more people looking into 'alternative' sources of food (like dumpsters) as the price of food rises. Some of us may have to review the way we casually dispose of 'less than ideal' food and the way we might use it for the purpose it was intended.
I'm enjoying reading yur blog btw - I hope you'll take the opportunity to 'try' me with questions the way I did you :-)
Thanks RG. I am sure that I will throw a few ?'s your way that will try you.
Yes hopefully people will think twice before hiffing food.
Where I live the main supermarket gives all its unwanted items (e.g. brands it no longer stocks, food getting close to its best before etc) all to the local food bank. It is great that they do it, and it is not just "crap" either. I know that the foodbank really appreciates it too.
I know it's a big question, but WHY do milk processors charge their neighbours so much in local shops when (as you say) milk is produced next door with no small cost to community resources? I believe high retail prices are why consumption is down and waste is apparent. I have been told milk companies have plenty of premium price export demand and see no reason to give their neighbours a break. "It's just not done!" WHY?
Bluecowgirl - yours is the $64 000 question and it would be valuable if someone from the industry were to address it for all of us who are interested to know the answer.
I guess 'free trade' agreements impact on this, as does the pressure from shareholders to make maximum returns from their investments. It seems counter-intuative, as you describe, for local produce to be so expensive and I was interested in your comment that it's the high prices causing (in part) the phenomenon whereby milk products aren't being bought at a rate that matches that at which they arrive in the shop.
I hope someone can add to my suggestions but if not, you might like to pose the question at Homepaddock, where milk matters are close to their hearts and pockets.
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