Supermarket giant, Walmart is making waves yet again and this time food waste is the topic of interest. The incident has sparked a debate on social media platform Reddit and raises the question of why these kinds of corporate policies are in place. Additionally, the gap between corporate policy and its execution on the floor during an emergency situation has also been given the spotlight.
Empty refrigerators at Walmart — what is the reason behind this matter?
A recent breakdown in the refrigeration system at a Walmart store has sparked some controversy amongst shoppers. A post containing a picture of a refrigerator section with absolutely no produce in sight was made on the forum-style social media platform Reddit recently. The post featured a photo of the empty juice section along with a caption that read, “Entire stock of Juice, Meats, Yogurt, Bacon, etc thrown out due to refrigeration broken.”
The post was shared by an employee of the store itself and was followed up with an additional comment wherein they shared that, “If they would have handed everything out to the employees fast enough it wouldn’t have had to be thrown out like that. Fact is, they make a fortune on employees shopping there so there’s no way they would give it out for free. I would have loved to take home a bunch of ribeyes.”
The main point of contention raised by other shoppers is the issue of food waste with some comments on the post even calling the company greedy. Whilst the foods in question were perishable in nature, they had not gone bad immediately and if not to the employees, the food items could have been donated to a food bank.
Aside from the fact that the perfectly edible items could have been given to someone in need, food waste on this scale can cause significant pressures to the food production system and its subsequent facilities. This impacts not only the company but consumers as well because these kinds of pressures can ultimately lead to a rise in the price of food.
Additionally, when food lands up in the landfill, a heat-trapping gas called methane gets released as the food decomposes which then forms a significant contribution to global warming growth rates.
The optics for the company are not looking too good either. Americans on a large scale are often facing food insecurity and it is quite disheartening to see a multi-million dollar corporation to choose food waste rather than giving back to the community.
Is the retailer making any changes?
According to the official company website, the retailer has made a commitment to reduce food waste across all operations by half. A goal aimed at cutting food loss by half by 2030 has been set in addition to the retailer’s food donation program through which it partners with food banks. A new inventory management system has also been placed in effect so as to better manage all perishable inventory.
In a broader sense, the implementation of smart refrigeration monitoring systems could prevent spoilage. Additionally, some stores have partnered with food rescue organizations who collect and redistribute perishable items speedily in the event of a malfunction in-store. Other stores also have an emergency protocol whereby they either discount or donate items if the cooling system fails.
Whilst the reasoning behind throwing away perfectly good food is likely to avoid any liability in case any individual ends up sick due to consumption of the unrefrigerated foods, it is still a huge waste. To avoid this, stores should ensure back-up power supplies are in place, along with the implementation of more sustainable procedures for these instances, whilst also fostering good relations with nearby food banks.