Trader Joe's Ex-President Opens Store With Aging Food And Cheap Meals

[KamaAina]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/04/411777947/trader-joes-ex-president-opens-store-with-aging-food-and-cheap-meals

The nonprofit grocery store is in the low-to-middle income Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. It's selling canned vegetables two for $1 and a dozen eggs for 99 cents. Potatoes are 49 cents a pound. Bananas are 29 cents a pound....

It was Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe's, who came up with this concept. He was frustrated by the amount of nutritious food that went into dumpsters, just because it was nearing its sell-by date. Meanwhile, millions of people don't eat very well. But Rauch had to fight the critics, who said he was just dumping food rejected by rich people on the poor....

Besides selling staples, Daily Table is also cooking up prepared meals on a rotating menu. "The recipes have to change every day because the donations change every day," says head chef Ismail Samad. Even though the food is not as new as what's in your local supermarket, that doesn't mean it's bad, he says....

Samad hopes customers in Dorchester eat it up. If they do, Rauch wants to expand this model to other cities across the country.

What say thee? Yea or nay?

[cali]

1. aye very strong yea

[cstanleytech]

43. Agreed, it beats just tossing the food like so many stores do. nt

[valerief]

2. Sounds good to me. I'm sure residents would welcome affordable nutritious food

instead of PopTarts.

[tymorial]

82. Totally with you.

Except, I really really love poptarts.

[snort]

88. Have you ever had butter on a poptart?

It's so freaking good!

[tymorial]

98. Nah, usually eat them uncooked.

I'm addicted to the brown sugar / cinnamon. I'll have to try the butter though lol.

[MADem]

116. If you haven't then I think you should!! nt

[PoliticAverse]

3. Note that whenever you eat in a regular restaurant you don't get to know how close to expiration

the food you are eating was.

[jwirr]

10. Excellent point. The idea of this type of store in an answer to several problems. Access in food

deserts and the recent talk about food waste.

For years stores have sold items as day old and also marked down because of damaged cans or out dated etc. Restaurants and food factories have food that must be used immediately and factories have what they call seconds. Much of this ends up as waste in our country. But that is a shame because it is still very edible.

I also like the idea of cooking some of it into meals. One of our local small stores has a small deli that they cook up themselves from items in their store that a must use items. The food is delicious.

The prices are fantastic - I remember paying that for those items when they were very fresh. Wonder if they will be taking food stamps? Our farmer's markets have just recently been allowed to start using food stamps.

[A Simple Game]

18. How close? You don't even know which side of the expiration date the food was. n/t

[FLPanhandle]

66. Yes you do, it's called today's "special"

That fish that is beginning to smell...Grouper with a strong sauce to cover the smell/taste.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I am nay on the prices... Those are Aldi prices (a Trader Joe store)

for food that is not as fresh. If the canned goods were 4 for $1, the eggs were 50 cents, the potatoes 29 cents and the bananas were 9 cents a pound, I'd be yay all over that.

[KamaAina]

5. In Houston, maybe

"That's good. It's cheap! Everything good," says Noemi Sosa, a shopper marveling at the prices that — for Boston — are phenomenally low.

edit: Did you manage to stay above water?

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. In Mi, CA, TX and WI. Markup is way too high.

Good idea but prices are too high for not fresh food.

[FrodosPet]

93. Without markup, how do you pay for the store?

The building costs money. Climate control costs money. The electricity for the lights and refrigeration costs money. Keeping the place clean and repaired costs money. Transporting the stuff to the store costs money. I suppose you could run it with volunteers instead of paid employees, but volunteers tend to fade off, and then who do you have to stock shelves and run the registers?

[cali]

7. not where I live. not even close.

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. Here's the ad for Aldi Boston

http://weeklyads.aldi.us/Aldi/Entry/LandingContent?adref=HomepageWeeklyAdLink&wt_referrer=aldi.us%20_blank&storeid=2626558

It's why I think I'd support this if the prices were much lower.

[cali]

40. again, you live in Houston. things are very different on the east coast

And I live hundreds and hundreds of miles from the nearest Aldi's.

[ieoeja]

41. Which tells us nothing.

Potatoes – see price in store
Eggs – could not find
Canned Vegetables – could not find
Bananas – see price in store

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. I was able to find them.

[ieoeja]

44. How?

[MADem]

75. No...that is Aldi in Medford--a long way from Dorchester.

Medford is a suburb of Boston. Dorchester is a neighborhood IN Boston. They're on opposite ends of the Tip O'Neill tunnel. No one is taking a bus, train,bus to go to the grocery.

Time and money, it would take a huge bite out of the day....

[tymorial]

83. Not to mention

Also, it isn't possible to even compare Dorchester and Medford from a socio/economic perspective. Medford is largely middle and upper class. While Dorchester has some middle and upperclass residents in certain neighborhoods, the majority of residents are lower to poor. I worked at the two healthcenters for years. Programs like this are needed.

[MADem]

97. If you are up on Savin Hill in Dorchester, you're doing great....

Most Dorchester residents don't live there though!

I am ALL for this. It will fill a need.

Medford is nice. Close in, too.

[Gormy Cuss]

90. Yup.

I put it in the T's trip planner: bus, train,train, bus. At least an hour ride plus the cost of the fare.

[Recursion]

114. It's actually pretty hard to get *out* of Dorchester on public transit. Intentionally.

There's that crappy double bendy bus thing, which is never there when they say it's going to be there...

[MADem]

115. Yep, unless you live on Savin Hill it can be difficult. nt

[GreatGazoo]

21. Aldi and Trader Joe's are run by related people, billionaire brothers, but are not the same entity

But outside Germany, few know about grocery-store kingpins Karl and Theo Albrecht (who was kidnapped in 1971!)—even though Karl, with a reported net worth of more than 17 billion euros, is the richest man in Germany (Theo’s descendants are a close second).

The Brüder founded their discount-store empire together. A disagreement in 1960 over selling cigarettes hastened a partition, and an epic game of grocery-store Risk: Theo would rename his business Aldi Nord, and would control territories north of the Rhine, plus a healthy chunk of Europe. Karl would head up Aldi Süd, and get southern Germany, more of Europe, plus the U.K. and Ireland. But both companies operate stores in the United States—Aldi Süd operates as Aldi, and Aldi Nord as the now ubiquitous Trader Joe’s.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/12/02/aldi_grocery_store_best_in_america_related_to_trader_joe_s.html

[geardaddy]

51. I never saw a Trader Joe's in Wales

but I saw plenty of Aldi's

[unapatriciated]

60. good information but missing a few things

Trader Joe's is an American Company founded in the 60's by Joe Coloumbe. It was known as Pronto Marts in the beginning and soon became Trader Joe's. Theo fell in love with the store on a visit to the states and it took him a few years to convince Joe to sell. One of the conditions of the sale was that it was to remain in a trust, ensuring that the basic concept would remain the same. I think Theo purchased it in the 70's. I met him before he passed away on one of his yearly visits to the chain, he was a nice man. His son inherited the trust and he has also passed, now the grandchildren control the trust. Aldi's in the states is owned by by Karl Albrecht.

[GreatGazoo]

72. My first TJ's visit that I remember was Newport Beach around 1977

lots of frozen fish (salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallops) in cryopac, nuts, fruit and veg, wine and booze. Basically healthier snack foods + RTE + wine/booze. They had the Hawaiian shirts, and chalkboards and rang the bell. One of the things I cooked a lot as a teen was Chicken Marsala and my mother would often get me the chicken, mushrooms, onions and wine at TJ's.

The concept seems related to Trader Vic's (?)

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[NJCher]

84. now that was a memory trip

Who would believe Trader Vic's was still around? I remember them as a little girl because when we would go in, there would always be a parasol in my kiddie drink. It had to be on vacation, as those locations are nowhere near where I lived as a child.

If you click on the menu cover, there's a pic of a Trader Vic's location in the UK.


Cher

[appalachiablue]

92. On vacations in Miami as kids, I recall a tropical restaurant 'Trader' smthg. had to be Vics.

[hifiguy]

105. We didn't get TJ's in the Twin Cities

until about ten years ago. First time I went in I was knocked out by the cheese counter and have been a fan ever since. The cheddar (or is it Gloucester?) with chives is crack for the tastebuds. Never bought anything from TJ's that was less than excellent. And there's beer and wine under the same roof, with some nice beers that you don't see elsewhere. And Three-buck Chuck hits the spot even for this picky wino, um, oenophile.

[GreatGazoo]

106. Lots of crave-able items in their selections

The Albany store had buffalo mozzarella for a while -- great for pizza (the original pizza cheese). Gives you that toasted marshmellow style brown blistering and a concentrated creamy taste profile that makes other flavors like roasted peppers, onion, sausage, etc., pop.

My usual basket includes: chocolate covered espresso beans, butter cookies with fudge topping, molten lava cakes, ANY Zinfandels (but especially the old vines) , a loaf of Tuscan pane, jar of pesto, flame roasted meatballs, and anything with sundried tomatoes.

[NJCher]

107. those are terrific TJ selections

Now I'm getting the itch to go to Trader's, even though I have a full refrigerator.


Cher

[hifiguy]

108. I'm coming to your house for dinner tonight.

I will bring the beer.

[valerief]

53. Wow, you guys really do live in another world in Texas. Costs more here in Mass. nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

54. Nope. Aldi prices are pretty much the same all over.

I looked at the ad for the one in Medford, MA, and I've shopped at ones in CA, MI and WI. The prices are the same all over. It's what I love about them.

No, we all live in the same world, with the same pockets of fuckuppery.

[valerief]

57. To be honest, I never even heard of Aldi, but I see there's one not far from me.

Now you have me curious!

[hifiguy]

100. For staple stuff and some types of produce

Aldi can't be beat. I could live nicely with access to only an Aldi, a Trader Joe's and a good Asian market (for certain kinds of veggies, noodles, soy sauces and other sauces like chili paste, hoisin and fish) and never go near a big-box grocery store.

Aldi has a nice variety of rather upscale German chocolate for some reason. A very good thing.

[valerief]

104. I went to a nearby Aldi last evening. It was clean, small, filled mostly with

jarred, boxed, bagged, and frozen foods, all with unfamiliar brand names (the food is probably name brands packaged in an Aldi brand). There were a few fresh foods. I bought some pears and they were very good. However, there wasn't enough of a selection of fresh foods for me and Aldi isn't worth my while to go to multiple stores. I'll stick with Market Basket, which also has good prices and lots of fresh produce and pays a living wage to its employees.

However, if you eat a lot of grains (cereal, pasta, bread) and don't mind canned food (BPA, yech!), it's a good place. It's especially good if you're feeding a large family. I like that you pay for a cart and bags (paper or plastic).

[ladyVet]

109. Prices are different here in NC.

I was just at the local Aldi store Thursday, and eggs were 2.09 a dozen. Milk was (I think) 2.35, cheese had a "new low price" -- that will likely not last a week -- of 2.99 for a one pound bag (it's been 3.49 for a while now). Canned green beans and corn are .49, the cheaper peas are .65, and some other canned goods are .89. I get bread from Dollar Tree usually, but loaf bread was 1.99 I think the last time I bought it.

Still lots better than Food Lion, Wal Mart or, gods help us, Harris Teeter.

[unapatriciated]

63. Aldi's is not a Trader Joe's store

Joe Coulombe founded Trader Joe's in the 60's. The only thing that they have in common is that Theo Albrieght bought TJ's in the 70's on the condition that it remain in a trust (Joe wanted the basic concept of the store to remain the same). Corporate Office is and has always been in Monrovia, CA.

[MADem]

74. Food is expensive in the city.

Cheaper in the suburbs but you have to get there.

[hollysmom]

6. I had some maple syrup today that had a sell by date of 2014 -

does sugar ever go bad?

[closeupready]

9. Generally, maple syrup lasts a long time -

From the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association website:

10. How long will maple syrup keep?
Unopened, maple syrup will keep indefinitely. Because it is an all natural product with no preservatives, once opened, a container of maple syrup must be kept refrigerated. If any harmless mold should form on the surface, merely bring the syrup to a slight boil, skim the surface, and pour into a clean container and refrigerate.

http://www.massmaple.org/faq.php

[totodeinhere]

85. For those like me who cannot afford genuine maple syrup, the artificial

kind pretty much keeps indefinitely as well.

[closeupready]

8. Sure why not? I'd shop there.

I really don't get people sometimes. People in places like Turkey or Colombia shop for food on a daily basis - rendering the "problem" of edible food being sold 'near its expiration date' kind of a 'rich people problem'. If it's edible food, it's edible food. If it's half-price, so much the better. Some of the best eggplant I've had recently was cooked from eggplant which was likely one day away from the garbage bin.

I'll also say this: If you've watched the Food Network show, Chopped, it's fascinating because the cooks are instructed to make a single meal course out of some of the weirdest items, some of them which are - on their own - disgusting, but EDIBLE. When a cook incorporates all items successfully, using condiments and pantry staples to help, it's inspiring to think, if they can make a meal from nothing, so can I.

[No Vested Interest]

12. Isn't this what most of us do daily in our homes?

We wouldn't be afraid to eat food that was near or even somewhat over its "expiration" date, would we?

Some products are labeled "Best by (date). What does that mean, really? Ambiguous -as "best" is subjective, as far as I can tell.

[Javaman]

16. there is no federal standard for expiration dates...

they are all arbitrary.

Trash It or Eat It? The Truth About Expiration Dates
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/05/trash-it-or-eat-it-the-truth-about-expiration-dates/

What the dates mean

Federal law does not require food dating in most cases, but 20 states do have laws about dates. In many cases, manufacturers add dates voluntarily.

In general, perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy get dates. But those dates aren’t always about spoilage. Some dates simply inform retailers when products are at their best for freshness, taste and texture.

The label types vary:
•The “Sell by” date indicates how long a store should display a product on its shelves. But foods are still flavorful and safe to eat several days after this date if you store them properly.
•The “Best if used by” date comes straight from manufacturers. The product will be freshest and have the best taste and texture if you eat it by this date. But this date does not refer to food safety.
•The “Use by” date also comes from manufacturers. It’s the last date for peak quality. After this date, taste, texture and quality may go downhill, even if food safety does not.
•The “Expiration” date is the only packaging date related to food safety. If this date has passed, throw the food out.

How long will it last?

Still confused or concerned? Use the following rules of thumb for foods in your fridge or pantry.
•Milk is typically safe for two to three days after the “use by” date. Keep it in the back of the fridge, where temperatures are typically coldest.
•Butter will keep for two to three weeks after purchase.
•Margarine will last for four to six months after purchase.
•Eggs are safe for three to five weeks after purchase. Keep them in the back of the fridge, where temperatures are typically coldest, rather than in the door.
•Chicken, ground meat and ground poultry will last for one to two days after purchase.
•Pre-cooked poultry should keep for three to four days.
•Fish will last one to two days in the refrigerator after purchase.
•Luncheon meat is safe for two to three weeks when it remains unopened. Use within three to four days after opening.
•Dry pasta will last for one to two years after purchase.
•Canned fruits and vegetables will last indefinitely. However, that rule goes out the window if they’re exposed to freezing temperatures or temperatures above 90°F. And be wary of damaged, dented or rusty packaging.

[Fuddnik]

23. I'm still drinking bottled water that expired 5 years ago.

I bought hurricane provisions, 20 cases of bottled water, 5 cases of vodka, after the 2004 hurricane season.

Still have water, but the vodka didn't last halfway through the season.

[Javaman]

28. the vodka never lasts...

damn the small bottles!

[BrotherIvan]

29. Priorities!

[awoke_in_2003]

55. You wouldn't want that vodka to go bad

[hifiguy]

101. The nice thing about booze is that

it basically keeps forever if unopened and seldom lasts long enough to go bad once it is opened.

[airplaneman]

59. fairly good but I will disagree with a few

•Dry pasta will last for one to two years after purchase.
Unless wet or left in the sun dry pasta should last indefinitely.

•Canned fruits and vegetables will last indefinitely. However, that rule goes out the window if they’re exposed to freezing temperatures or temperatures above 90°F. And be wary of damaged, dented or rusty packaging.
More important is weather the contents are acidic or not. Acidic items like citrus, tomatoes and vinegar based soups have a shorter life (2-3 years beyond best by date and just a noticeable change in flavor ) than non-acidic items which can exceed 5 years beyond the best by date.

•The “Expiration” date is the only packaging date related to food safety. If this date has passed, throw the food out.
There is no expiration date per say. On medications the Army did a study that found that most drugs were still viable 10 years after the expiration date - notable exceptions being liquids and tetracycline.

-Airplane

[bunnies]

13. Those great prices for the Boston area.

Hope it becomes a chain.

[Javaman]

14. it's a sad state of affairs that someone deams this viable as a profit maker. nt

[lostnfound]

50. It's nonprofit. N/t

[Javaman]

81. I guess that's marginally better

but you got my point right? if our economy is so good via the various reports that we get, people should be making a better living and not have to get their food this way.

still a sad state of affairs.

[hifiguy]

102. Why throw away perfectly edible food?

Someone can make good use of it. Food waste is a huge issue in the uS.

[Javaman]

113. I agree, but giving your response to my post it appears as if it sailed over your head.

never mind, I'm just too tired to care about this.

[Mira]

15. YES

this could be a great help. Just like the Goodwill or Salvation army of food.
Besides, it may be the only store many without transportation can get to

[MineralMan]

17. EAT RECYLED FOOD!

Eat recycled food for a happier healthier life, be kind and peaceful to each other, eat recycled food. Recycled food: It's good for the environment and OK for you.

[Horse with no Name]

19. Our local grocery store allows you to purchase this food

I make a run by the bins every time I go in the store....I am okay with eating food nearing expiration.

[tblue37]

26. We can buy imperfect or older produce quite cheaply here, too. nt

[Cleita]

22. I like the idea of it being a non-profit. I hope someday all our food retailers will operate

as non-profit cooperatives, our farms too. Maybe we can finally get rid of the megaAgro businesses and Wal-Marts that are helping pollute our planet and keeping nutritious food from reaching poor people.

[KamaAina]

68. West Oakland has a nice food co-op

http://www.mandelafoods.com/#!

[SheilaT]

24. Those would be pretty good prices for the most part

here in Santa Fe.

I do volunteer work helping to feed the homeless, and we get a fair amount of the food we serve from a food bank, meaning we get stuff that is real close to its sell by or use by date.

It takes a pretty nimble chef to be able to figure out what to cook to feed a large crowd (often over a hundred) when you don't know until you get to the kitchen what you'll have to work with.

[tblue37]

25. Yea, indeed! nt

[peacebird]

27. Yea! Giving people in poorer areas a chance to buy food inexpensively is great

So it has a short shelf life, they will buy what they are going to eat today or this week. It's a great idea.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. yea

[Warpy]

31. It beats taking the T out of the neighborhood

and dumpster diving for the same food. I say "yea."

[MADem]

76. I agree. And some people would have to take the bus to the T...

That shit gets expensive especially if you don't have a work provided Charlie card or qualify for a reduced fare.

I remember reading how the French were doing this kind of thing awhile back--everyone thought it was swell when they came up with the idea. It is a nonprofit enterprise that is bringing affordable and good food choices to a neighborhood with few options. This is a win AFAIAC.

[BrotherIvan]

32. Who could object?

Americans are germophobes when it comes to food. Yes, there can be sickness if something is really spoiled, but we are no longer taught what that looks/smells like. We think anything but visual perfection means food is spoiled. We are so disconnected from what we eat. If the food is not dangerous, why not make it available for less cost?? This is a good idea. Ethnic markets here in Los Angeles work on the same principle. The food is almost half as expensive as the big supermarkets.

[geardaddy]

48. +1 million

I love shopping from the Hmong farmers at the farmers market.

[hifiguy]

103. Me too, and they pop up on the Nicollet Mall

every Thursday during the summer, along with some "artisanal" vendors of good stuff like nuts and honey.

[geardaddy]

117. Yes!

I miss working downtown for that very reason.

[awoke_in_2003]

56. Smell doesn't seem to work with produce anymore...

at least not in grocery stores. Ever buy a lemon that doesn't smell like a lemon? Go to Kroger's, or any other chain that has hot house grown, picked too early, Monsanto seeded produce. I love the Farmer's Market, though.

[BrotherIvan]

61. Definitely

Most produce was picked green and gassed to get to the right color. I can't tell you how many red bell peppers I have bought that were moldy inside. It is hard to tell anymore.

[awoke_in_2003]

64. And finding a good tasting tomato

is well nigh impossible. I always ask for none on my burger, because they add nothing but mushy blandness

[Gormy Cuss]

89. Lots of produce is coated in wax to retard spoilage.

Cukes, eggplants, and peppers all get this treatment.

[totodeinhere]

86. You make some good points but on the other hand given all of the food recalls over salmonella

contamination who could be blamed for being careful about what they eat? Last year salmonella poisoning caused 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths.

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/

[Ilsa]

33. Yea. nt

[Avalux]

34. Aye! This is a resourceful endeavor, and helps people who would be without.

So long as they aren't using products that might cause a health risk, I see this as a really, really good thing!

[Doc_Technical]

35. Caution: Story from old fart about frugal living during childhood!

One place we could buy cheaper food was at a
Dented Can Store.
I don't recall any cans containing spoiled food and it
was just as good as the undented cans.

For a real adventure we would occasionally buy unlabeled cans.
You never knew what you would find.
The best one was a can of octopus tentacles.

I had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that night.

[aikoaiko]

36. Wasn't there a study that found that access to more nutritious foods didn't improve consumption?

I can recall the specifics.

[KT2000]

37. Grocery Outlet

They sell near to expired date for decent prices. They also sell discontinued products - and that could be that only the packaging has changed. They are a for-profit business. Don't know if they are a franchise or what but they have been a life saver for some of us.

They don't sell prepared meals though - other than the frozen products.

[airplaneman]

49. Grocery Outlets definately one of my favorite stores.

I got some incredible deals - One gallon of blue cheese dressing $1.97.
15 oz black olives $0.57.
Peanut butter as low as $.39 a pound.
56 oz coconut butter (organic) $9.99
right now my favorite store.
-airplane

[KT2000]

73. Me too!

toasted sesame oil - $.99
cheese from Ireland - $2.49 for 7 oz
yellow peppers - 2/$1
5 lb. yukon gold potatoes - $1.99
Sabra hummus- $2.49
large yogurts - $1.49

Plus - you never know what is going to be there - and they always tell you how much you saved!

[KamaAina]

69. They are indeed a chain

they're all over the Bay Area.

[shanti]

71. It's my second favorite store

(next to Costco) and I shop there regularly for over 30 years. Stores all over the West Coast now. First one I ever shopped at was in Yuba City. There, they mostly they sold dented canned food (smashed can warehouse was their joke name, lol) and lots of jug wines.

I heard once that Grocery Outlets in Sacramento (where I am) were being used as test markets for new items. It's believable because they sell a lot of one-offs that I never see anywhere else.

[Paper Roses]

38. Great idea, I hope it spreads!

I have seen so much food thrown away by local grocery stores, it makes me sick. One bruise on a green pepper, into the trash---etc.

I wish this was closer to me, I'd go in a minute. My food budget is minimal because of my circumstances. I would gladly buy these goods, do a day of 'cook and freeze' and consider myself lucky.
The stores in my area are top dollar. Sure hurts when the dollars are short and the bills are due. Hope this project expands to my area. We need it!
Kudos to Mr Rauch.

I may try and contact him with specifics about my neck of the woods! There are several TJ's within the region and many towns with a high percentage of low income people who would greatly appreciate this effort.

[IronLionZion]

39. I've had bad luck with TJ's produce while it was in the store

and pretty much gave up on it since it was spoiled more often than not.

I was surprised to meet hippies who would take food from TJ's dumpsters even perishables like meat and dairy. I had a hippie girlfriend who made me some deer sausage one time and I asked her where she came across deer sausage since I knew she was unemployed. Why, the dumpster outside Trader Joe's of course! I never ate her cooking again.

Which is why I am very skeptical about this. If the fruit is rotten when I pay for it in the store, then how good can it be when it gets dumped?

[unapatriciated]

62. About that deer sausage....

Trader Joe's does not sell deer sausage and hasn't for the more than ten years I have worked for them. I wouldn't eat any thing out of TJ's Dumpsters because if it is in there than it is truly not for human or animal consumption. We pull all our codes a day early and donate to the local food bank (every store has a donations program). We freeze the meat before donation so that it last longer. Any fruit that is not suitable for donations to the food bank gets boxed up and our local bird sanctuary picks it up. In many California stores we also compost. So if it is in the dumpster it's there because it is truly bad.

Sorry you had a problem with your produce, your cashier should have noticed and replaced your fruit before purchase. Sounds like your store may have had a problem with rotation and that should have been brought to the attention of management (Store Captain) We do have a very liberal return policy, you don't like it for any reason and we will refund your money.

[IronLionZion]

80. I'm worried about that deer sausage.

This was 2012 and she claimed it was from the falls church VA TJ's dumpster. Do you sell bison sausage? It definitely wasn't chicken or pork. She would also get milk and cheese from that dumpster. I've had bottled fruit juice from there but nothing else.

And the fruit was packaged in hard plastic so I couldn't tell it was bad until I opened it.

I like TJ's for packaged/frozen stuff and coffee.

[unapatriciated]

94. We do sell a frozen bison burger but...

if it was in the dumpster, the cold chain was compromised and it should not have been eaten.

Yeah, I don't care for the clam shell type packaging. Used to be all of our fruit came that way, the company has moved to more loose fruit and that is better in my opinion. Your cashier still should have turned it over and checked the bottom (that's where you can usually spot a problem). If it should happen again please let the store know and get a refund, you shouldn't pay for spoiled fruit.

Instead of using the dumpster, try to find out what food bank your local TJ's donate's to. You are taking a risk with your health and since you are a fellow Bernie supporter I want you to stay healthy.

[IronLionZion]

112. The food banks are a good idea

I hope you stay healthy too

[Hekate]

67. I've been very pleased with TJ's products, and their return policy is as good as Costco's...

...which is saying a lot.

If your nearest TJ's isn't up to snuff, try another, or look up company headquarters online and complain to the top guys.

[IronLionZion]

79. I like TJ's packaged foods and their great alcohol selection.

but their DC stores have been very disappointing for fresh options.

[denbot]

45. Double yea

Or yea yea if you wil.

[geardaddy]

46. Sounds like a great plan to me. n/t

[Shrike47]

47. I'm in favor of the idea. Many people have no car and live in a food desert.

[lostnfound]

52. Excellent. Saw special on MSNBC about food being wasted.

Something like 40%!to 60% of food in the U.S. is never eaten. So much scrap just for appearance.

[deathrind]

58. Yea!

Anyone who has ever worked in the food service industry knows this is a good thing. The amount of perfectly good food thrown away is truly astounding.

[unapatriciated]

65. I say yea

Doug Rauch has been kicking this idea around for awhile. I first read about it last year. I'm glad to see that it is a non-profit.

[The Blue Flower]

70. The local TJ's donates lots to our food bank

Our truck drivers at the Ballard Food Bank in N. Seattle get lots of salads, sandwiches, breads, etc. from the local Trader Joe's as well as Whole Foods, Safeway, and QFC. It's always been all about creating the relationships and infrastructure to go out and keep the food out of the dumpsters.

[unapatriciated]

111. TJ's has made it the responsibility

of each individual store to develop a donation program with their local food banks. Our store even donates fruit to the bird sanctuary. I loaded two large banana boxes full of fruit into their van today (yeah I work for TJ's and really love my job).

[Renew Deal]

77. I'd love to eat there.

The rotating menu sounds interesting to me.

[dembotoz]

78. Aldi at least local will discount stuff as it approaches due date

Red sticker 1 or 2 dollars off
I live on clearance food when ever I can
Shelf space is competitive and if they want to do half off to get rid of stuff
I love to assist


The thing is to look for the discount stuff

[retrowire]

87. i saw a documentary on food network about this.

millions of tons of perfectly good food gets thrown away just because it didn't meet certain standards. if it's edible it needs to be eaten!

[ybbor]

91. Yea!

And a loud one at that!

[Arugula Latte]

95. Good idea. Meanwhile, in France ...

France forbids supermarkets from disposing edible food:

http://agri.eu/france-banned-the-supermarkets-to-dispose-of-edible-food-news6487.html

[Lee-Lee]

96. I love it.

A chain here sends its damaged and older stuff to a discount outlet as well, but this sounds like a much better run setup.

[jtuck004]

99. They call them Grocery Outlet in Spokane, along with about 20 other stores that

sell the cast offs from places who sell to people with more money. They have found there is profit to be had in that, along with raising the prices at all the secondhand stores, stores that are now moving into more expensive real estate.

I do like the restaurant idea. I think there should be one every 12 square blocks, in a home, for the community. Run by the community.

[Egnever]

110. In theory I like the idea

The reality I think, is it is a matter of time before someone gets sick and files a lawsuit. Just the nature of our society sadly.