Another Irritating American Practice..

It doesn't happen everywhere, but did you happen to check out back? Many street people know what time these restaurants dispose of uneaten lunch food. Astute restaurant managers set it out rather than tossing it, making it available.

I'm not saying this is the way to handle hunger -- I'm just encouraging the restaurant managers that don't have set times to make them AND to be sure the kind of food Karen mentioned is set out in a way that it can be eaten by those who need it.

It amazes me. There used to be a program in some parts of the country called "Fish and Loaves" that actually went to restaurants and picked up this food and delivered it to shelters, etc....too bad it isn't available everywhere!

Restaurants legally can not sell the food because after X amount of time, it's not up to food codes for the Health department. However, some places will give it away to employees.

I totally agree. I see those who are down on their luck, homeless and hungry, hanging around Mc Donalds begging for money so they can buy something to eat, as they haven't had anything in a couple days. Then, the back door to the restaurant opens...and an employee carries a bucket of hamburgers, chicken, fish, fries and who knows what other items out to a secured enclosure to dump perfectly good food into the trash. They have the locked gate and fence up around their dumpsters...to keep people out so they don't eat the perfectly good food that's being discarded. You can't really blame the panhandlers who are trying to survive, but Mc Donalds would rather have their customers bothered by beggars than simply give them something to eat instead of throwing it away. When I was young and living on the streets, a burger would have been such a treat compared to me scrounging for change to buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter so I could stretch it out and have something to eat all week. I wasn't looking for a free hand-out. I worked for my food most of the time...cleaning off tables, sweeping and mopping the floors and taking out the trash at a deli for a half sub...or announcing a Little League baseball game on the public address system for a hot dog and a glass of soda. The smaller business were more sympathetic to the plight of those in need and would give food left over at the end of the night to those who were around and asked for it. The big corporations are cold and uncaring not willing to help those in need. They're more worried about profits and losses and the almighty dollar.

That's a shame! I guess it is considered unsafe at some point and to avoid being sued they have to throw it out. When I was in the food business we couldn't donate food like this because it was considered unsafe for human consumption, even though it really wasn't, but it couldn't be donated to the food kitchen's according to law. I think most places like this would be happy to donate it.

Something wrong with society when the distance between "classes" becomes wider because of regulations and restrictions. Whatever happened to neighbor helping neughbor?

It is a shame. I heard about that program Stephanie was mentioning, but it is in the larger cities. So, I don't know about smaller towns and such.
It is a huge waste of food, and sad there are hungry people that really need anything that they can get.
I wish something was done about this.

I think I heard (I am not agreeing with it) that the reason they won't give it away is that they fear being sued if a person gets sick from the "old food", if you ask me it is an excuse to be able to keep doing it, and using a false justification.

America should be ashamed at its wastefullness... but the corporations will never change their policies for fear that employees might write up false orders that then are cancelled, so that they might have a free lunch. My first job in highschool was at a Round Table Pizza and this is how it was explained to me by the manager there. What a sad state we've come to.

I do agree it's a shame how wasteful we as a society have become.

For a better (less wasteful, more humane) way of arranging things please take the time to read my novel "Invisible Hand" which is available, complete, here on Gather. Just visit my articles.

I also make the complete novel available at:

http://www.unc.edu/~mason/hand.html

Consider it my Christmas present to the world.

At least the gros are doing better here,there are chuches that pick up the food that goes out of date and cooks meals for the homeless.

There has to be a way to be safe and not wasteful. It makes me physically ill to think of the waste.

we need gleeners to go around and pick up the food and deliver it. I have known people that after their wedding reception have gone to Skid Row and handed out leftover food.
Now, that's a great way to start your life together.
Bakeries are especially bad for tossing food. Just call, make an appointment for an end-of-day pickup and take to a local food bank or soup kitchen.

Cami explained it perfectly -- the reason corporations so thoroughly destroy things is because they worry that if they don't, their employees might otherwise be looking to benefit from more lenient policies. Still sucks.

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I agree with you my ex worked a short period at Hardees it was the same thing. In fact the employees had to buy the left over food to take home even. My question is why not have a short period after hours for the homeless to let them even have a meal? Or why not take the food to shelters at the end of the day or after a meal?

Americans are so wasteful. I wonder if other cultures have this problem too. or is it just our fast food mentality?

We are a wasteful society! Enough said! Paying it forward.