I am tempted to shoplift expired food. It’s equally criminal but the food has zero value because the shop cannot legally sell it. So I’m betting that if I get caught, no one would give a shit. I don’t suppose it would be reported but the shop might still make an internal record. I wonder if a shop would ban someone who is caught with this, or if they would thereafter target me for searches every visit.
Anyone get caught lifting expired food?
Sounds like dumpster diving would be an easier approach
And no, most companys would care. Because if you could get expired but good food for free, you would be able to just wait till a product is over the expiration date instead of buying it.
Also in many places its legal to sell expired food, its just not common practice.
Not in any city I have lived in, AFAICT. Where I am now, the dumpsters are kept out of sight. When dumpsters are in sight, they tend to be in cages, as they worry about liability of unsafe consumption. Maybe i’m not scoping it out well enough but it looks like shoplifting would be easier.
(edit) though I should mention there is some kind of program where students can cheaply subscribe to receive food that is either expired or nearly so. I don’t know the details but that would be the easiest option (for students).
I think I recall asking a cashier to lower the price on something that expired (they will usually do that on the last valid day), and they said /no/ we cannot sell that, and took it from me. So apparently it’s illegal where i am.
If there are any pizza places around that sell slices, you might ask a worker if it’d be cool to check the dumpster for food and they may feel bad and hook you up with some of the older slices that have to get tossed or just let you check the dumpster. Day old bread is always pretty cheap too at bakeries and they may even just give you some.
Thanks for the tip! I’m not in poverty or at the edge of starving. I just try to eat cheaply and simultaneously try to fight food waste. I tend to kill 2 birds with 1 stone by buying food marked down 50% on the day it expires. But the pizza and bakery ideas are in line with that.