Supermarket Bin Scrounge

[Vicky]

I recall seeing on what I recall was Wife Swap where there was a family/group that lived off food from Supermarket bins.

Does anyone know anything about this as I'm keen to learn more about this subject.

Thanks

Vicky

[bluebell]

Vicky - the only programme I can remember seeing with this going on was HFW 'Cook on the Wild Side' when he joined a group of people who raided supermarket bins. HFW helped contribute towards a group meal. It's bound to be back on Sky TV soon!

Sorry I couldn't be of further help.

[Meanqueen]

Hi Vicky, I have heard of this before on another programme. I try and shop late afternoon when they are marking down the perishable goods, on the last date. If you go too late they take what's left off the shelves and bin it, apparently.

The problem I can see is that many supermarket bins are inside the perimeter of the colditz style high walls that surround them, you would not be able to gain access to them. You might find bins of smaller shops are outside their back door, with no barriers, but look for cameras.

There are very strict controls on disposal of waste now. I once asked the bakery of my supermarket, if I could have some offcuts/scragg ends of bread they couldn't sell, to feed the swans and birds. They said they couldn't give it away because they had to comply with the waste disposal laws.

I have heard that some shelter charities have arrangements with large stores to collect their still edible but not sellable food, and use it at the shelter.

Ilona

[Dave]

you can have all the cra& out of my bin for free if you want

[Effie]

supermarket bins are inside the perimeter of the colditz style high walls

more insider info here

The waste food is kept securely in bins, not available for people to claim as their own, or (more regrettably) to be given away to the hungry and needy incase someone should become ill from eating incorrectly stored, out of date food and then go on to sue the supermarket.

Wrong,...at this point I have deleted a lengthy rant on various issues

Effie

[misty]

ITV 1 -past it's sell by date. They're in the bins now!

[Richard]

The difference between selling it off and binning is just the time it takes to close the shop doors.

I've seen potatoes reduced from £1.75 to 60p, then thrown in the bin. So if they were good enough to sell for 60p, they're good enough !?

I think you need a bit of detective work and watch when they do clear the special offers and be there to almost take them out their hands.

It isn't they're wasting food, it's they're obeying the Law.

It's the same at Cricket. What food isn't eaten is supposed to be binned instantly. If I want to take some leftovers for heating up later or for the Chickens, I have to take it before it goes back to the Kitchen.
Even then, it is my sole responsibility.

Sorry, went off a bit - didn't see the programme.

Richard

[mellonia]

Hi

I watched the programme earlier this year about a zoo, and a local supermarket gave all its fruit and veg left overs to the zoo, which i think was great as the zoo was really struggling, i think it was called bens zoo, brilliant programme. The poor man lost his wife to cancer.

Does anyone remember it.

Mellonia

[Effie]

I remember the series but didn't watch it. They did well to get chance to give anything away. We tried all sorts to help out the homeless shelters in the city but HO weren't having any of it. Had to throw the food away and employ security to keep people out of the bins.

[saint-spoon]

I remember the Hugh-Stanley-Whittingthing (as June once referred to him) program. I also watched a program about a girl living at the anti-nuke camp up in Faslane, she survived solely on what she could forage or raid from supermarket bins.
Sell by dates have a lot to answer for when it comes to binning perfectly good food; I could go on a rantette about packaging and stuff but I wont. Myself and a chum once raided several bottles of courage pale ale from out the back of the working mans club but I’m not sure if they were throwing it away as it was by the delivery door. And they were in a crate with about twenty other bottles. That day we also foraged twenty Benches and hedges from the newsagent whilst the proprietor wasn’t looking along with a bag of pear drops which were quite possibly past their sell by date. The innocence of youth, nothing quite like it.

[saint-spoon]

Shouldn't program have been spelt programme? Today I am truly a vacuous dullard… (cider might have had something to do with it )

[Vicky]

Thanks for all your responses.

Seems all the rules and regulations that are mounting means that all this waste will remain waste!

Vicky

[Richard]

There are too many red tapes and over the top legislations for too many things. Remember the butter mountains and think of the starving !

[saint-spoon]

There are too many red tapes and over the top legislations for too many things. Remember the butter mountains and think of the starving !

Seemingly the excesses of foodstuffs which formed the mountains/lakes are no longer; the switch from food production to bio-fuel means that the mounts have been levelled and the lakes have run dry. Without becoming political I think that it’s important to question the effect of centralised euro control has over our food regulations. Will cucumbers under a certain length be destined for the compost heap along with bananas that lack the regulation curvature? It has long been a belief of mine that many of these rules and red tapes are designed solely to temper the market so as to favour one particular region or country. The rest of them seem to be in existence purely to prevent hoards of eurocrats becoming jobless; thousands of focus groups and committees existing with the sole purpose of justifying their reason for their existence (if that makes sense.) Why else would a can of baked beans have a shelf life?

[Evie]

I agree with everything thats been said. Such a waste.
My daughter worked in B..ts and they throw away perfectly good packs of sandwiches in the bin every day.
Its the rules AGAIN.