Food Waste Through Supermarkets and Countries

Is Costco killing the planet?

Okay so they may not be the sole reason Earth’s environment has been going downhill but the bulk packaging in stores like Costco has definitely been a cause for excessive waste with in the food industry. I set out to learn more about how bulk packaging affects waste and found more on what supermarkets do with their food as a whole than I originally thought.

Brief history of bulk packaging

Nabisco was one of the first companies to create the first type of bulk packaging. Before packaging their crackers, the crackers were sold in a large bin where costumers would collect the amount they desired and put them in their own bags. In an effort to make their products fresher when they reach the consumer Nabisco created a type of packaging so that the crackers would be sold in a predetermined amount and would be sealed until the consumer desired to open it. This packaging was called The In-Er Seal. It is a system of inter-folded wax paper and cardboard to “seal in the freshness” of the product, (buttonmuseum.org).

Today bulk packaging has a different goal. Instead of freshness it is aimed to ensure that a larger quantity of a product can reach a customer.

What’s the deal with current American packaging?

Many of the bulk items found in American stores such as Costco or BJ’s are designed to give a better deal for a quantity but most of the time that quantity is not needed by the consumer. The consumer however can not simply open the package of individually packaged items and take the amount needed. America has laws which stop the ability of opening pre-packaged items. After tirelessly searching through the FDA’s website for an explanation I only found a small blurb explaining the ‘Not intended for individual resale’ line.

MULTI-UNTI RETAIL PACKAGES [21 CFR 101.9(j)(15)]

Individual containers in a multi-unit retail food package are not required to bear function 10 labeling when:

1. the label for the multi-unit package contains all required nutrition information; 2. the individual containers are securely enclosed and not intended for individual retail sale; and 3. each unit is labeled with the statement “This Unit Not Labeled For Retail Sale” in at least 1/16-inch height type size. The word “individual” may be used instead of or immediately preceding the word “Retail”. This statement is not required when the inner units bear no labeling.

The only reason is that not all boxes may have nutrition labels. If that’s the case why can’t companies splurge on extra ink and simply reprint it?

The simple answer is because packaging in bulk actually makes the item cost more than when sold individually. A prepackaged container now has the added cost of the container. Food Networks show The Kitchen had recently done a segment on this. 10 items, packaged individually and in bulk, were placed in front of two of the hosts. They were told to guess which was the better deal. At the end of the segment it was found that every item listed had been cheaper when sold individually than when they were packaged collectively as a single unit.

Buying pre-packaged items also tricks the consumer into thinking he or she actually needs more than what was originally intended. Buying one pepsi will satisfy someone now but buying a six pack of pepsi will ensure they can get the same satisfaction later on. The consumer is spending more money for the first pepsi he or she orignally wanted and is now left with another 5 bottles to finish.

My Experience with Bulk Packaging

I found myself in Paris’ version of a mini-mart in need of water. I was staying for a week so I had decided to buy a bulk amount instead of one bottle. The only problem was that all of the packages were already opened. It looked like a war had gone on in the aisle and the water had tried escaping. To my surprise, I found one six pack intact and proceeded to check out.

Taking in my surroundings as I was waiting in line, I noticed the women in front of me had appeared to find a full four pack of red bull unscathed. Then, to my horror, she opened the cardboard package took two cans of red bull and left the rest of it to rest next to the gum nearest the cashier. The cashier had no reaction at all! I felt like I was in the Twilight zone but this was because I was so used to the laws America has on packaging. Before this moment, it had not occurred to me that other countries might half different laws such as this one.

Paris and Bulk Packaging

In Paris, bulk packaging does not matter as long as the individual products are wrapped separately they may be sold separately. This of course stems from the more prominent laws and lifestyles that have been instilled in France. In recent years the French have evolved their ways and laws to make an effort to reduce the amount of products that are wasted.

A new law which betters more than the environment

While trying to research bulk packaging laws in France I came across a recent law which shifted my focus from waste because of bulk packaging to waste due to supermarkets as a whole. As of Spring 2015 France has passed a law which forces supers markets in France to donate all food that is about to go over its ‘best buy’ date. The law started as a petition by Arash Derambarsh who had previously been trying to give food to those in need on his own. A video summarizing the law is below:

How does this law work?

The law is the first to address not only environmental concerns but that of those in need as well. Previously, many who could not afford to buy groceries were forced to search through the trash of supermarkets. Because French law previously did not protect supermarkets, should someone get sick from this action the store could be held liable. Many stores took to drastic measures to deter others from scavenging through their trash.

Gaëtan Lassale, head of institutional relations and advocacy at the French Federation of Food Banks, explained to L’Express that “we regret [the practice], but it’s the only way for supermarkets to avoid being implicated in case someone gets sick after having eaten something out of their trash (Atlantic, 2015).

The new law, which is currently in affect, changes this by not only banning this practice but also enforcing that all edible food that would have been discarded shall now be donated to charities within the local area (Chrisiafis, 2015). The food that is not edible will also not be thrown out; instead, the food will be taken to local farmers.

What if the Supermarket doesn’t comply?

In an effort to ensure the law is followed requirements and guidelines have been made. Though all stores are encouraged to follow the law, those that are at least 4,305 sq ft (400 sq m) and more are given until July of 2016 to officially sign a contract with a charity (Chrisafis, 2015). Should the store not meet these guidelines, they will be faced with fines of up to €75,000 (roughly $85,500). In worse case scenarios the stores owners may also face 2 years in jail should they not comply. The strict guidelines are given to guarantee both the poor and environment are being helped.

America’s stance on this law

Reading about the law in France made me wonder why the United States did not have a similar law. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010 alone, supermarkets and grocery stores threw out 43 billion pounds which is $46.7 billion worth of food, (Delman, 2015). With such large numbers it brings into question what the US exactly does to try to eradicate this problem. Creating laws such as that in effect in France could greatly help not only the U.S.’s problem with waste but also those that are unable to get food.

For reference, about one in seven Americans lack reliable access to food, and an extra 15 percent in saved food could feed over 25 million Americans, according to the NRDC, (Atlantic, 2015).

An article, Why the US May Never Pass a Food Waste Law Like France, expands on this giving multiple reasons as to why the United States are unable to pass a law as big as France’s and what the country’s current alternatives consist of.

Why can’t America Pass a Similar Law?

America currently has policies which encourage stores to find alternative means to food nearing its expiration date other than simply letting it go to waste. It does not, however, have laws which force stores to do so. From a financial standpoint it is also seen as too costly to force stores to donate their products. The director of sustainable development for the USDA, Elise Golan, expressed her views on this. In the Atlantic article, Should It Be Illegal for Supermarkets to Waste Food, as well as the Gizmodo article Why the US May Never Pass a Food Waste Law Like France Golan is quoted saying:

“The logistics of getting safe, wholesome, edible food from anywhere to people that can use it is really difficult…If you’re having to set up a really expensive system to recover marginal amounts of food, that’s not good for anybody.”- Elise Golan, 2015

If the United States were to enact a policy such as France it would cost significantly more through forcing the stores instead of rewarding them to donate. To transport the donations alone is too expensive.

So what does America do instead?

Though the United States does not force stores to donate, it does reward those that do. The Food Donation Connection website’s partial quote below highlights the tax benefits companies receive should they donate their products rather than throwing them out.

U.S. Congress enacted Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code in 1976 to encourage donations by allowing C corporations to earn an enhanced tax deduction for donating selected surplus property, including food. In 2015, Congress passed the PATH Act as Division Q of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, which modified Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code to allow all companies to earn an enhanced tax deduction for donating selected surplus property, including food.

This encourages food donations by:

1. Making the enhanced tax deduction permanently available for Non-C corporations — retroactive for contributions made after December 31, 2014.

2. Increasing the charitable contributions cap from 10% to 15% of net income for Non-C corporations or taxable income for C corporations — applicable to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015. The additional 5% is specifically for food donations.

Part of this law that is not shown is the third fact which states that should a company donate and file it on their taxes, the company can receive the same deduction for 5 years after they originally. Though it encourages companies to donate it does not encourage them to donate in the long run as companies can choose to donate every 5 years and continue to receive tax deductions for the years in which they choose not to donate.

Other laws are also in effect such as the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act and the United States Federal Food Donation Act of 2008. Both ensure that those participating in the donation of food are not to be criminally charged should something to happen a person that consumes it.

What can people do to help stop waste in America?

American super markets may not have the same strict guidelines french supermarkets have but they do have shoppers who can help. Currently, there is not enough momentum to push for action in changing the laws of food donations and waste in American supermarkets but consumers can do their part in stopping excess waste by being aware of what they are purchasing. Stores and bulk packaging mentioned in the beginning of the article play a big role in excessive waste.

What needs to change

By only going to a store like Costco and shopping once a month the costumer thinks he or she is getting a good deal but in reality they are losing more. After buying products in bulk, the products tend to be overused with out realizing it. Trent Hamm makes the point in The Christian Science Monitor when he explains,

First of all, if I have a lot of orange juice, I drink it faster. If I go to the store and buy one of the really large containers of orange juice, our family will go through the whole thing in three or four days. On the other hand, if I go to the store and buy a small container of orange juice, our family will go through the whole thing in… three or four days.

Let’s say I buy a very large jug of shampoo at the store. I’m standing in the shower with it and I give it a little squeeze. Immediately, an overabundance of shampoo hits my hand. I don’t need that much shampoo. The thing is, even if I’m really careful, the nature of that large bottle often puts too much shampoo on my hand. It just goes to waste.

The consumer does not use the products efficiently which attributes to waste through over consumption. In this way, the consumer has spent more and wasted more product than intended.

Taking one trip a month is also detrimental to consumers. One trip, for example at the beginning of the month, now predetermines everything a person may need for the next 4 weeks. But as Victoria Ligon says in her University of Arizona Food Study people are ever changing; their schedules, tastes, work ethic. Someone may plan all of their meals out from the start and know that on Wednesday they are having spaghetti, but they don’t know that for sure. Work could come up deterring the person from making food, causing them to eat out. The person could also change their mind on what their tastes were that day and order out instead. The point being made is that eventually not all of the food planned to be eaten will be. There is bound to be some amount of waste.

How to change

There are many ways of fixing this. Trent suggests a list of items to buy in bulk that will not be wasted

“Garbage bags. Household cleaning supplies. Liquid soap, particularly if I have a dispenser for it that allows me to dispense a squirt at a time. Individually packaged goods. Rechargeable batteries. In other words, non-perishables that I can’t easily overuse.”

While limiting what is bought in bulk one can also then expand on the trips to the store. The items not purchased in bulk can be bought at other supermarkets in frequent trips. Buying what is only needed for a week or even a few days forces one to focus on what they need for a few meals at a time rather than ambiguously buying for a longer period. The food is then consumed at a better rate and it reduces the amount of food wasted at the end of the month. In buying groceries in small quantities at a time the consumer is also more aware of what they have on hand as well as how long it may be good for.

Remember

So next time you find yourself in Costco and you see that huge jar of Nutella for a discounted price, fight the urge to buy it. Use your will power to know that by not picking up the huge jar you are not only saving yourself the calories from binge eating the whole thing but also saving the environment from excessive waste. You will feel satisfied with the fact you have taken an extra step toward helping the environment. That seems like a bit much, but you should still be happy you made the right choice.

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