more articles like this

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too
updated: May 23, 2012, 8:44 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

I was at the Starbucks on Carrillo street and De La Vina Saturday night and saw a whole trash can full of the baked goods from the day. I asked the Starbucks guy if these goods were really going to be thrown away and he said yes because they currently have no agency to donate to. I don't know the rules on donating food, but maybe readers know of agency that need the daily unsold food.

Most recent Comments first | (reverse order)

COMMENT 282581P	2012-05-25 01:00 PM
Stunningly poor business management, to not control food costs and do the necessary planning and figuring to be able to approximate one's business needs. Business owners are throwing their own money away. Pretty stupid. I guess Starbucks, where I imagine the coffee prices cover the waste, can take it. But a small business owner, (i.e., a local restaurant owner) would or should know better. No reason a huge business shouldn't be well-run, especially those publicly traded. (Not sure if Starbucks is; I think so.)
COMMENT 282253P	2012-05-24 12:03 PM
What happens to all of the un-sold food that's prepared every day at Whole Foods on State Street?
COMMENT 282250	2012-05-24 11:59 AM
40% of the food processed in the USA gets thrown away. So if one throws away pastries for example,they also throw out the water used to grow the wheat,the farmers pay,trucking to market & so on. America has children dying of starvation every day. A homeless person could eat the thrown away food,feel & think better & raise themselves up from their situation. Shame on SB.
COMMENT 282241	2012-05-24 11:43 AM
Kind of sad how much red tape keeps from people obtaining an edible meal. I recall visiting my friend in San Francisco a while back, and him telling me to look inside a trash container outside this bagel shop downstairs from where he lived. The container was the size of the large residental ones marborg currently uses in town and was full to the brim with bagels that were still perfectly good, just a day old. They can't sell them as fresh, and I assume they can't donate them, so they go to waste. He said that gets picked up every few days. If I were homeless and looking for some food, thats the first place I would go.
RLMCDON	2012-05-24 09:38 AM
Sorry, I should have been more clear. If the food isn't individually wrapped (which by the looks of the local coffee shop food areas, the vast majority isn't), than organizations will not be able to accept it due to food safety laws and concerns. Hence Food Bank, Community Kitchen, etc would not take this type of product. The donating party is also usually VERY wary about donations of "expired" (whether truly expired or not is another issue altogether) products due to liability issues in our litigious society and that's why most give explicit directions to their employees to trash it. Some will allow animal feed donations. Personally, I think that's ridiculous, and wish we didn't waste so much food in this country when there are so many hungry mouths to feed. That's a problem not just in retail, but the home as well.
SEEDLADY	2012-05-24 09:31 AM
United Blood Services always looks for donations to give to blood donors after their donation. Juices, waters, and high calorie snacks. Back in the day, they'd get Mrs Field's day- olds. They were a treat!
YIN YANG	2012-05-24 08:17 AM
I looked it up; SB Community Kitchen IS Casa Esperanza.
YIN YANG	2012-05-24 08:13 AM
Is the food individually wrapped?! I have never been in a Starbucks. LOL I am sure they are worried about liability, regardless. But if each item is wrapped, there's a good chance they could have an agency or organization pick it up. As 114 mentioned, it's Community Kitchen at the shelter. They have a formal agreement with TJ's; I see their van often at DLV TJ's. It's a horrible waste of food and it happens all over, every day, in homes and businesses. (But this thread has me craving some kind of pastry. blush) (Not sure if Edhat allows cited quotes; I haven't done this here before): "According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Loss Project, we throw away more than 25 percent—some 25.9 million tons—of all the food we produce for domestic sale and consumption. A 2004 University of Arizona study pegs the figure at closer to 50 percent, finding that Americans squander some $43 billion annually on wasted food." http://www.scientificamerican.com/ article.cfm?id=earth-talk-waste-land There are more horrifying stats in the article about landfills, methane, water and gas usage to produce unused food, etc. Lots more terrible news & stats can be found by googling, of course.
COMMENT 282143	2012-05-24 08:08 AM
Elrojo has good suggestions. I would also add Casa Esperanza. Casa Esperanza has a wing for recovering addicts. During recovery, an addict needs extra sugar. Heroin is cut with sugars; during recovery the body needs sugar for a period of time. If you knew the spoiled and low quality food that Casa Esperanza is given, we would all tell Starbucks or any merchant to donate. We would all donate to support those hard fighting individuals who have chosen to recover and turn around their lives..
ELROJO	2012-05-24 07:14 AM
Casa Serena, 1515 Bath Street, SB New House, 227 W Haley & 2434 Bath Casa is a recovery home for women, New House is one for men. They do wonderful work and have been Santa Barbara institutions since the 1950's.
ARTEMISIA	2012-05-24 06:39 AM
And what happens to all the prepared food at supermarket deli counters at the end of the day? Bet that gets dumped in the trash too. What a waste! Isn't there a way to give it to people in need?
COMMENT 282114	2012-05-24 06:32 AM
The Kitchen at the Rescue Mission?
COMMENT 282108P	2012-05-24 12:28 AM
They really should be donated to foodbank Make the call starbucks!
COMMENT 282103P	2012-05-23 11:14 PM
i wrote a lot but my computer turned off. Trader joes gives to Community kitchen. I mean they donate. Their trash has a lot of food and is locked up tight. yes, I've eaten from it, but not dived myself. I know there are legal problems, i respcet them. But the spagetti sauce was good. Lots of bananas too Is food Not Bombs still in SB? i hate to see so much food throw away. Any donations have to be legality. Community action commission Community clinics food bank ! Mark Asman at church on state & Micheltorena - he's a supporter. They could give you info. Talk to the manager, compost is better than trash. Pigs? Ask a pet store. I mean feed store, La cumbre. the valley has pigs and chickens. but there may be some closer ones. thanks for caring
RLMCDON	2012-05-23 09:31 PM
If they aren't packaged I don't think anyone can legally take them. Food safety laws. Perhaps as animal feed - like to a pig farmer?
ROGER DODGER	2012-05-23 09:13 PM
Thanks for passing along that information that is really cool of you.

75% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.