Every day hundreds of tons of food is thrown into land fill by western countries. Most of this food is perfectly safe for human consumption and is only thrown away because it has passed the sell by date. Canned food can remain safe for consumption for tens of years and has been proven to do so many times. As long as the can is undamaged the food inside will remain safe.
The sell by date on cans lasts for two years. Because of this many wholesalers who have to buy in bulk often find themselves with excess stock that is perfectly fit to eat but has passed the sell by date. This food has to be disposed of. The amount of food that is thrown away has not been quantified but the wholesaler who we visited told us that they disposed of at least two tons of outdated food each week. When you consider the number of such companies in England alone it soon becomes clear that the problem is massive.
With many people in third world countries starving to death it seems scandalous that western Governments allow this to continue.
Many people in Western countries are malnourished and suffer poor health due to lack of food. Some attempt to liberate some of this food that is thrown away, but they are breaking the law. If they take food from, say, a skip at the back of the supermarket they could face a fine or imprisonment. In our opinion the ones breaking the law are the supermarket who are disposing of a valuable resource.
Governments make and change laws, and we feel that governments should employ common sense and compassion when making decisions. To allow vast amounts of food to be thrown away whilst people of the world go hungry is insane.
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