CUk-Zx

frozen state doesn't mean it's 100% safe. What happened to
the product in the mean time? Traceability is of paramount
importance until it gets to the store, but the cost involved
with continuing that traceability until it reaches donations is
economically unfeasible.
Grocery and Dairy – Unfortunately, for the same reasons
Meat and Seafood can't be donated, many refrigerated, expired
dairy products don't make the list. The good news is
that very few items get thrown out. Longer shelf lives, higher
demand, and tight orders ensure that the only dairy products
that really get thrown out are the damaged ones that aren't
safe for consumption anyways.
Grocery items are given to food banks. I'm sure some
smaller markets donate directly. At our store, everything
expired is packed and freighted to headquarters, and they
distribute the goods evenly among the communities that our
supermarkets are located in. The extra freight may seem
wasteful, but I am assuming they record their donations for
tax deduction purposes.
I've had the good fortune to spend some time volunteering
at food banks. They have different expiration dates for
products, which I assume are regulated by some sort of government
agency. For example, (I'm just using an arbitrary example,
I don't remember the exact dates and figures) canned
beans may be okay for two years past the date on the can,
whereas boxed pasta is good for six months past the date on
the box. The majority of my volunteer time at the food banks
was spent sorting through the mountains of canned goods
and checking expiration dates to see what was still deemed
safe and what wasn't.
So basically, if it's safe, it gets donated. If it's not, it gets
thrown out. Definitely some food for thought.
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