Our World Of Plenty And Waste

[teacake44]

Had a walk into M&S yesterday and the amount of food on the shelves that they where trying to get rid of, with reduced tickets on was unbelievable, I've never seen so much in M&S, this was late afternoon, and very few people about, so very little chance of getting rid. There were about sixty turkeys, their top of the range, proper price £55, trying to sell at £12. The other shelves where full of other stuff, that just wasn't moving. How do they get it so wrong? and if this is multiplied over all its stores, what a disgusting waste.

[Zacs-Master]

But it’s not waste if it goes to heat homes. You seem spot be a bit confused.

[Zacs-Master]

To be

[teacake44]

@12.51 only when freshly killed, not when they've been on the shelves for two weeks previously.

[teacake44]

12.52 again food is for eating, not heating :0)

[bhg481]

teacake - I take it, then, that you don't throw away any food at all, including peelings, bones etc.

[teacake44]

@13.00 Now that would be really silly for me to say no to that. Get back on the real point.

[andres]

I have to agree with teacake in that there is a disgusting waste of food in all our supermarkets ,not just M&S. This didn't happen as often when the ordering was left to the managers. Nowadays the computer very often gets the amounts wrong and over does it.

[Ringlet]

It's the lack of ethics involved in killing animals for no purpose that I find disgusting about the amount of unused and un-needed food that is left on the shelves. "Perishable" food (ie meat) was once a living breathing creature, reared for the purpose of satisfying human greed for meat. To over-produce these animals and birds to such an extent is morally and ethically wrong.

[pastafreak]

I haven't read comments, but excess M and S food goes to relevant charities. The one I worked for had regular donations 2x per week.
Now I will read all the cynical comments...

[bhg481]

Ringlet - vegetation also lives and breathes and is also over-produced for human consumption. Is this also not morally wrong?

[teacake44]

13.05 I wasn't going to take it any further, as some seem to be getting a little hot under the collar. I also went into a store of Morrisons and the same situation in there, last thing/ late afternoon, the amount of food that was left was sickening to see, it appears no one is learning. Your not talking here of a little left over, but tons of everything you can think of. A independent family shop would not dream of this sort of over ordering, and would certainly go to the wall if they did. When you consider I'm just talking of the small area were I live, it is very scary to think of this stupid situation.

[pastafreak]

If there was so much waste this year, then next year production will possibly be less. But then there is the risk that demand may be greater( plant based diet out of favour?). It's not possible to get it perfectly right.
Oh...and I was in my local M and S, and saw very few turkeys on offer. A lot of stuffing, though.

[teacake44]

@13.18 that would be the normal procedure to cut back, but that's not been the case as I've seen it for the last 10 years.

[aelmpvw]

//turkeys, their top of the range, proper price £55//
the world's gone mad ...

[teacake44]

Yep, so £3.300 of turkey from (one) store as gone to heating some ones home. ( so they tell me) :0)

[Zacs-Master]

Maybe the price is the reason there’s so many left?

[woofgang]

Teacake, turkey does not have to be freshly killed to freeze well. In other years I have bought several crowns or whole birds when they are reduced and eaten them over the course of the year.

[andres]

Morrisons in our town---200 biscuits shaped like Xmas trees about 6ins in size. All individually wrapped -original price £1 each. Who on earth buys them?

[TonyV]

When my Sister worked for Tesco's they used to compact and put bleak on their out of date food. She started as a shelf stacker for pin money, once she had ridden through the ranks to store manager then regional manager at Tesco's headquarters she got policy changed and food was donated to food banks or hostels.

[tamborine]

No loss as theyve profitted on sales. Excess will go into pet food - win win!