Feeding the critters

[claytonpiano]

For us, feed has become an issue. I was bemoaning to my daughter how much it is costing. She called the local supermarket and we now pick up 4 boxes of spent produce almost everyday. I am stunned at what is thrown away. Some places will not allow anyone to pick it up, but our local produce manager has a small farm and wants to see it go to the animals or charity. Most of this food looks better than what I have in my refrigerator. i almost feel guilty picking it up and giving it to the pigs and chickens. Some days we get entire bags of apples and oranges. There is only one in the bag that is bad. 

My daughter was in Africa right out of college. She said that they would move the produce to different areas and reduce the price as it got older in some places. It would seem like that was a good idea, but I think that in this country we want our produce to look perfect. I am, however, thankful for the help with the feed for our animals!

[countrymom22]

You're lucky to be able to get that claytonpiano. Around here, the store managers just throw it away, they won't let anyone take it for fear that someone will eat it themselves.

I'm lucky in that my extended family saves their kitchen scraps for me in the freezer. When they come to visit they bring coolers full of fruits and veggies frozen for my chickens and we give them eggs in return. This definitely cuts down on my feed bill!

[Deleted]

So true, it's appalling how much food gets thrown out EVERY DAY in this country. I've called a couple of groceries around where I live to see about getting some of their "cull" produce, no go, store policy said they had to throw out.

[copperkid3]

Some of the major chains have rules in place that the employees responsible for the "proper" disposal of such produce,

must make sure that it is unavailable and unedible for any who might find their way to the dumpsters. One of the things

that they do to make sure this takes place, is to cut open sealed packages, to expose it to the elements and then pour

bottles of liquid bleach over everything. When I was buying up day old (or older) bread and bread products from one

of the bigger bread companies who sell their surplus for "animal feed only", one of the things that you had to do, was to

sign a waiver stating that ANY & ALL of the products that you were purchasing, would only be used for such purpose,

that it couldn't be eaten or resold to humans for consumption and to make sure that it was rendered unpalatable to human tastes,

they would slit the outer plastic packaging with a boxcutter to 'help dry it out'.....of course, then it also caused a lot of it to mold or spoil

before we could feed it to the hogs, etc., but when you can fill the back of a full size pickup for $20 ~ what's a little waste?

They spent more time in making it worthless to feed people than what they received for the surplus product~!!!


SICKENING & DISGUSTING ..... of course, occasionally somebody missed a package with the razor blade.....

[manygoatsnmore]

It is unfortunate that we live in such a litigious society that the stores have had to put such wasteful policies in place for fear of being sued. I used to be able to pick up produce, day old bread and other past date foods from a couple charities and a supermarket and was able to raise my animals so inexpensively using all that. Can't do that anymore. Quite often the charities would tell me to go ahead and use anything for our own consumption that had been stored at correct temps (deli stuff) and would even put it in the freezer if it was something close to, but not out of date. A lot of the breads were better than what I could afford to buy or make for my family. It stretched our budget and fed our animals well, too. And I wouldn't sue anyone if I got sick from something I made a decision to eat anyway! But, it doesn't take, but one or two lawsuits to change an industry-wide policy. It's a rotten shame.

I have heard of some charities that have a deal with some major supermarket chains to pick up produce that is not quite as fresh, but still quite good. They pick through it, repackage it and take it to inner city "food deserts" where there are no supermarkets and it is difficult for residents to get any fresh produce. They sell it very cheaply and I believe they also take food stamps and WIC, so more people have something better than processed foods from teh corner bodega or quick shop type stores. That is a movement I could get behind. I abhor the amount of food waste we have in the US.

[wvterri]

Every grocery store that I've ever asked about old produce has policies in place against giving it out. It's such a shame. If i lived closer to a populated area I'd hit up the restaurants and fast food joints. I've watched them cleaning produce in Ryan's and it goes into a huge garbage can so it's separate from other kitchen waste.

[farmchix]

Apr 7, 2016 22:49:25 GMT copperkid3 said:

Some of the major chains have rules in place that the employees responsible for the "proper" disposal of such produce,

must make sure that it is unavailable and unedible for any who might find their way to the dumpsters. One of the things

that they do to make sure this takes place, is to cut open sealed packages, to expose it to the elements and then pour

bottles of liquid bleach over everything. When I was buying up day old (or older) bread and bread products from one

of the bigger bread companies who sell their surplus for "animal feed only", one of the things that you had to do, was to

sign a waiver stating that ANY & ALL of the products that you were purchasing, would only be used for such purpose,

that it couldn't be eaten or resold to humans for consumption and to make sure that it was rendered unpalatable to human tastes,

they would slit the outer plastic packaging with a boxcutter to 'help dry it out'.....of course, then it also caused a lot of it to mold or spoil

before we could feed it to the hogs, etc., but when you can fill the back of a full size pickup for $20 ~ what's a little waste?

They spent more time in making it worthless to feed people than what they received for the surplus product~!!!


SICKENING & DISGUSTING ..... of course, occasionally somebody missed a package with the razor blade.....

Try to find independent stores.  Shop there.  Support the small guy.  Offer to take their bad produce....show them pics from your phone of your flock.....