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“Enjoy Your Next Cheap Pepperoni Pizza”: 30 Disturbing Facts About The Food Industry That May Leave A Poor Taste In Your Mouth
When we're hungry and our tummies are aching for food, we don't think about the interworking of the kitchen or slaughterhouses. Unfortunately, it becomes an afterthought or we choose not to go there entirely.
Sometimes a shocking headline or one person's nudge, however, prompts us to go into these uncomfortable yet essential waters. So when u/Miserable_Papaya1814 recently asked the Ask Reddit community "What dark facts do you know about the food industry?", insider secrets spilled like Kevin's famous chili from The Office. To provide you with a comprehensive overview of what goes on behind closed doors in the food industry, we have curated a list of the most intriguing responses down below.
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#1
The amount of waste thrown away every single day by grocery stores. I worked in the meat department of a decently sized grocery store and the waste their was nauseating. I s**t you not, we would throw away an industrial sized garbage bin worth of meat, fish, and poultry every single day. The expiration dates dictated everything which is obviously a sensible policy to have, but they wouldn't do anything about it. They wouldn't donate it, let employees take it home, or make adjustments to the orders so we wouldn't have to throw so much away. The reasoning was always "better have to much than not enough" which I guess makes a little sense, but when I am throwing away dozens of pounds of tenderloins, center cut fish and shellfish per night, its to much. Mind you, this is one department of one grocery store.
Sorry for the rant but I feel like it needed to be said.
If you've seen the 2017 eye-opening documentary 'Wasted! The Story of Food Waste', featuring Anthony Bourdain, Osteria Francescana's Massimo Bottura and other celebrated chefs, you know what a terrible tragedy the food industry is. According to current data, there are approximately 1.3 billion perfectly fine foods available to us that simply end up in the bin.
And while it's appropriate to think that it's fine to do with food that you purchased as you please - even swim in 600 lbs of Nutella for that matter; that is enough food to feed 2 billion people - enough to feed starving folks across the globe twice. Or as Richard Swannell from Wrap, The Waste and Resources Action Programme based in the UK, explained to BBC: "[It] would fill 23 million 40-tonne trucks. Bumper-to-bumper, enough to circle the Earth seven times."
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#2
As a former chef, I've got to say that I've never seen any of the horrible stuff mentioned here over my career (mostly higher end and fine dining establishments).
We on ocassion would have things like frozen airline chicken breasts brought in, but other than that we did all prep and cooking by hand with fresh ingredients from mostly local purveyors when possible.
We also broke down and deep cleaned every night from the ranges to the floors to the wells to the vents. Every night.
Myself and staff have always taken this s**t very seriously, and it's always disappointing when you hear of this kind of behavior. Do better, people.
It would be okay, however, if food waste would only concern our consciousness. But as it turns out, all that food that doesn't end up in our tummies produces 8-10% of overall global greenhouse gas emissions. You see, when food breaks down at landfill sites, it releases harmful greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere, thus increasing extreme weather disasters that's been going on around the planet.
If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind the US and China, according to a United Nations Environment Programme report. Definitely not a place we'd like to visit.
#3
I worked catering back in college, and the amount of food we threw away was nauseating.
One time I ran a wedding and we had so much food left over, I started not to give a f**k.
I'm not throwing $500 of filet mignon in the trash.
I divided it up for us, and we took it home.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Lee Banks 1 year ago
We have an unspoken policy to not waste. Going to be making chicken stock? Cool. the juices from the baked chicken are yours. Special is done for the month? Who wants the no longer necessary ingredients? Have to throw out a pizza due to time expiring? We've got a massive homeless population. Salad looks sketchy? Owner is having salad for dinner. There is still waste, but only what is just unviable. We take pride in these practices.
#4
that the fishing industry is destroying the oceans. its so horrible how much 'by-catch' is things like sharks, dolphins etc that die for no reason. also tuna are an endangered species bc of the fshing industry
Jon Steensen 1 year ago
Not to mention the concept of bottom trawling - dragging a net along the ocean floor and turning everything that is down there over. You are ruining the ecosystem, and it takes a long time for nature to re-establish it afterwards.
In order to understand the inner workings on food waste, Bored Panda reached out to Luke, or u/Zastrow_Studios, as he's known on Reddit, who was one of the top-voted comments on the thread. "If I'm being honest, at the beginning, it didn't bother me that much," he explained in a message, referencing his experience working in a grocery store's meat department.
#5
Sometimes the salads aren't bug free. There were times where I received c**p for taking too long washing lettuce. Staff would wash a large container of lettuce like once or twice. I did it 3 or 4 times. I didn't stop until the water was clear and had no bugs. The others had a "who cares" attitude.
One time my boss needed my help and said to me frustrated, "The lettuce is already washed, unpack it in salads quickly." The lettuce looked dirty so I said to myself "I can't sell this to people."
I washed it and guess what the water looked like.
Dark brown from soil, 50+ dead gnats, a living and swimming spider the size of a penny.
StrangeOne 1 year ago
When I was in cooking class I had a teacher tell me "Oh, extra protein." Not everyone is okay with eating bugs. To this day I cannot stand hearing that dumb phrase. I wash all my produce really well.
#6
1. Your server might be working while sick. They don't get paid time off and most restaurant managers flip their s**t if someone calls out, so instead of missing their rent this month they just chug Dayquil to hide the symptoms. Could by a cold, COVID, who knows?
2. The ice maker could have mold growing in it and nobody would know. I've never seen a restaurant clean one, ~~except for the rare instances where some dipshit drops a stack of glasses near it and they have to melt the ice to pick out the shards.~~ (actually scratch that, it doesn't mean they clean the maker itself; just the basin)
3. The nozzles for the soda fountain might be moldy and slimy too; some restaurants clean these as part of their side work, some don't. You'll never know.
4. Your server, if female, has almost certainly been sexually harassed by someone on the staff.
"However, as time went on, it became sickening. On numerous occasions, while disposing of an unthinkable amount of meat, I had to rush out of the back rooms to throw up because of the smell and the realization of what I was doing."
#7
That we can’t give newly expired food to the homeless. There was a single case of a homeless person getting food poisoning from donated food in the USA and the food industry used that as a reason to make it illegal. There is no reason for this other than so more people will be hungry and buy more food.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
Simple, don't wait until it has already expired to donate it. Supermarkets in Melbourne, Australia used to reduce the prices of perishables a few hours before closing a day or so before expiry. People used to make a point of shopping just before closing to take advantage of this. I hope they are still doing it.
#8
It’s more like a misleading labeling. No sugar. Right? Wrong if you read ingredients on a lot of these packaging it will say things like maltodextrin and dextrose. That’s actually a sugar. Because of regulation they only have to label it no sugar and people think it’s healthy, etc.
Sergy Yeltsen 1 year ago
I remember when corps tried to make "Evaporated cane juice" a thing, and failed miserably. Most people aren't as stupid as they think.
And while Luke's experience is quite shocking, for most consumers who haven't had firsthand experience with food waste on that level, it's rather difficult to digest the scale of this problem. According to 2010 data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 26% of all meat, poultry, and fish is discarded by Americans at the retail and consumer level. Which means that approximately 1 billion chickens, over 100 million land animals (primarily turkeys, pigs, and cows), as well as around 25 billion fish and 15 billion shellfish (mainly shrimp) are produced, raising global greenhouse gas emission levels, to only end up in the bin.
#9
After Chernobyl Nestle bought up all the milk that was unsuitable for human consumption in the EU. They powdered it and sold it to developing nations as baby formula.
#10
A lot of dietary guidelines in the US were created on the basis of lobbying rather than research. Meat, eggs, and raw milk are vilified without evidence meanwhile refined grains are touted as healthy. Saturated fats are demonized while highly processed seed oils are promoted as heart healthy. Food dyes are allowed despite wrecking havoc on hormones and being banned in the rest of the world.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
From what I keep reading in many news sites, lobbying in USA = bribery.
"Before working there, I considered myself mindful of food and avoiding waste. As a Boy Scout, I learned to respect my food, especially that which has been alive, and be mindful of my own waste production," Luke said. "Working in a grocery store strengthened my determination and made me realize how much corporations contribute to the waste problem."
#11
McDonald's isn't as bad as you think and are actually really Adamant about food quality. Atleast a decade ago, I was surprised at how much care and handling happens in the kitchen (the good ones)
It was my first job and I thought I was going into the nightmares these types of subs attract but was humbly surprised that it was as clean as it was, I'd have to say the dirtiest part of the store was probably the grout in-between the tiles but even then those were done atleast every 2 weeks or monthly.
Ichi as usual 1 year ago
I can vouch for that. I worked for McDonald's. They take it really seriously. I think any food poisoning scandal or anything in that manner could hurt them really bad as they are really well-known. It is good tho. I trust them more than most of the restaurants.
#12
Most animals raised for food, live miserable and unnatural lives
Although Luke's stint at the meat department didn't last "due to a combination of wanting to focus on school and the interactions with individual employees and upper management that made working there a nightmare," he said that before leaving, he wanted to see to what extent this issue was rooted in the company.
#13
Chef from America, you don’t even want to know. I’m going to be honest, I just assume now that if I don’t make it with my own 2 hands, it’s not safe to eat. I’ve seen everything from plastic wrap, to sweat, to mold, to cleaning acids be served to people. And there’s more than that… that’s the arguably less nasty things.
Obviously that’s untrue, not every single thing you eat is unsafe. Probably not half, maybe half if you eat a lot of fast food, but for sure 20% of it… anyway, you just never know and I’ve seen way too much. I don’t trust restaurants, be it fast food or fine dining, unless I know someone who works there and they tell me it’s fine.
Edit : I’ll tell you, maybe, the worst thing I’ve “seen” and I’ll tell you where it happened. I’ve worked sports bars, steakhouses, Mediterranean restaurants and fine dining. You know which one takes the cake? Buffalo Wild Wings in WV, which really depresses me because I used to love getting amped on coke, watching UFC fights and getting that Asian Zing. My wife’s a server and typically prefers the sports bars, no s**t, she saw them use a microwave that had cockroaches crawling in and out of it, behind it, under it. That was one of their biggest things they used. Rat nest in the bathroom ceiling. Guess what? They passed their health inspection. So I guarantee it’s still like that.
Leo Domitrix 1 year ago
The fact this person said "I used to love getting amped on coke" makes me question their judgment. And it's West Virginia. Arguably, the only states worse would be Texas and Florida.
#14
The deep fryer grease is long overdue for a change; but it’s expensive to do so nightly.
General Stukov 1 year ago
I'm confused. As a deli worker who was 90% in the kitchen on closing shifts, we would drain the oil into buckets and take them back to a drain tank and dump it to be taken to recycling for like biofuel and whatnot. We were also required to filter the oil every 4 hours (2 hours on superbowl days) and from talking to other supermarket workers, wing joints, and fast food places that this is standard. Maybe mom and pop places? But I'm pretty sure it's illegal to not dump them.
"While I was working there, I did talk to members of the deli department, and they confirmed that they were throwing out a similar or even greater amount of food," Luke explained.
#15
Worse I participated in as kitchen staff in a rather top-flight restaurant….. on a slow summer Sunday afternoon, the boss sent us down to the walk-in meat coolers to spray paint the rusted walls. We were instructed to not remove the contents of cooler first; rather just shift the meat from one side of cooler to other. The coat of silver spray paint will come off during cooking
Verena 1 year ago
As the meat needs to be packed in foil or containers for hygienic reasons and to keep fresh this should not be a problem as such. However, it does say something about the local Food Inspection authority. Top-Flight restaurants do have their strange things going on, but they never tinker with food in a way that might get guests sick or put off. It would ruin their business - top-flight guests don't accept this
#16
In my country, buffets often sell spoiled food, like if the employees see mold on top of the sour cream, they just scrape it down and continue selling it. Also, if they sell cooked meat, they often leave them on the counter for days and add some oil to it every morning to look fresh.
One potential solution to battle food waste - perhaps the most significant - lies in the realm of law. A complex web of federal, state, and local laws creates significant barriers to redirecting food that would otherwise go to waste to those in need. The fear of legal consequences looms over food donations, as individuals or organizations can potentially be held liable if the donated food causes harm, illness, or even death to recipients.
#17
They crush roaches when crushing chocolate beans. Too much work, not enough time.
More than most likely if you have a reaction after eating, it's due to the bugs
#18
Here's a good one:
Health department regulations are EASILY skirted around, especially in the Chinese food industry, at least in the SF Bay Area, but as I've been told, everywhere around the US as well.
If a restaurant fails a health inspection, they usually have 30-60 days to correct it. After 60 days, they visit again, and if that restaurant fails again, they can get shut down. However, if the restaurant changes ownership in that time, they get another YEAR before being inspected again. So a lot of places will just shift ownership again and again throughout their family members; never ever bringing the restaurant up to code. It happens OFTEN. And it's something the health department denies again and again, and they even retaliate heavily against people who are outspoken against them.
I've seen health inspectors leave low boy doors open for 10 minutes and then take their Temps. Once it's above 40, you're docked. Health departments are corrupt as s**t. Heard rumors about bribes and all the other political corruption that plagues every aspect of the American legal system, but haven't seen anything in person besides that.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
In my experience some inspectors give 14 days notice before an inspection so the place can be brought up to standard. I have always suspected these individuals get bribes for this.
Another significant factor contributing to the food waste problem is the high cost associated with its disposal. In the United States, commercial businesses alone generated approximately 7.6 pounds of waste per person per day in 2012, resulting in a staggering annual total of around 251 million tons of commercial waste, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The process of transferring and disposing of this commercial waste incurred an estimated cost of $52.5 billion in 2017.
#19
Grocery distribution warehouses are often extremely filthy and rarely cleaned. Wash anything canned, bottled or jarred!!! They're filthy as hell, covered in microplastics, rotten food, mouse pee, bird s**t, etc etc.
I used to do maintenance on conveyor systems for a major US chain and they just send s**t flying down the conveyors so fast that, its fairly common for glass to shatter because of the vibrations, food to fall off, etc etc. I saw Bats, Birds and Mice in that facility, but it was within tolerance of their health policy. Also saw people that were sick sneezing and coughing on products.
Never saw a floor scrubber go through the warehouse the entire 3mo I worked there and I was doing alternating double shifts! The only time I saw a broom was if there was shattered glass.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
ABSOLUTELY wash anything that your mouth will touch! The one thing is that at least the food is often sealed in a secondary layer of packaging. (Such as cans are usually banded together in a plastic wrap.)
#20
Pub basements are often absolutely disgusting and vermin can be seen running around. Nobody seems to care unless you are a CAMRA registered pub and even then you might only get inspected once in a blue moon.
As Alex Roberton, Walmart's spokesperson, told CBC news in 2016: "There's an assumption that retailers don't care. But retailers do care. It costs a lot of money to deal with waste, so it's not in a retailer's interest to just throw stuff out."
#21
Over the years, the sugar content of our grocery items are increasing so people will buy more.
Ace 1 year ago
Lots of sugar is routinely added to processed foods, yes, to make it taste better for lower cost, particularly in the US where it's likely to be high-fructose corn syrup. This has been the case for decades, nothing to suggest that it's a recent and/or increasing trend. There has been a huge shift in perception over the last few years such that most educated people are aware that too much processed food is bad for you, and hence a move away from this is likely. Maybe not where you live, but certainly across most of Europe.
#22
You'd never want to eat at a restaurant again once you saw how much of your $70 meal for two came frozen and pre-prepared in plastic bags.
StrangeOne 1 year ago
Tbh, if I don't notice and it's not giving me reactions later, Idaf. I expect much of the food that can be freezed is frozen.
However, since then, Walmart seemed to step up its game. and introduced some initiatives to fight the food waste epidemic (at least on paper, that is). "When food goes unsold, Walmart works to get it to people and places that need it while it remains nutritious. In 2023, we donated more than 665 million pounds of food in the U.S. alone," the grocery mega-giant boasted in June.
#23
Chocolate can have up to 60 insect parts per 100g and still be approved as safe for consumption by the FDA in the US.
#24
Worked in the food industry for a couple years, all I can think of is how gross arbys roast beef looks in its bag before it’s cooked, just google it, hasn’t changed in 30 years.
#25
Worked in a pepperoni factory 20+ years ago as an accountant. Found that the more MSP in the bill of materials, the lower quality and cheaper the product. Looking at the stuff, it looked kind of like an old square crumbly eraser if you remember those.
So I asked what MSP was. It's "mechanically separated pork". When I asked what that means, they told me that after all the good meat is cut off of a pig, a power washer is used to blast the remaining flesh off the carcass. That's scooped up, dried out and packaged as MSP.
Enjoy your next cheap pepperoni pizza.
#26
Former chef here.
Never send send food back unless of course the chicken is still raw sorta problem
The daily specials are fridge clean outs.
Don't order fish on a Tuesday unless the establishment is a seafood restaurant
Last but not least try not to alter the menu and food to suit your taste. Chefs and owners work hard to create menus and recipes and get very upset when you ask for no ham in the chicken cordon bleu.
#27
Don't eat at Unos. I worked BOH in salad and soup prep. I saw tons of trays of veggies accidentally dropped on the floor, walked over and picked back up with nary a rinse. The chili stays in the pot for days on end and they just add more water and beans. I saw unsavory things working at Friendly's too.
Jes.the.Mess 1 year ago
Big corporate chains seem to be the worst with this stuff. They breathe down the managers necks about keeping food and labor costs down, then the low paid cooks and servers get the brunt of it. They come in sick, reuse dirty food, and a remarkable percentage develope issues with drugs and alcohol, which they use to either get through work, or recover from it. (Yes I am speaking from first hand experience. Nothing like bartending for a living to teach you about your alcoholism)
#28
Your green salad lettuce has been floating in a trash-can sized bucket containing a mixture of water and some chemical that keeps it crisp.
MushroomHead22 1 year ago
that is not entirely true, and definitely not the case everywhere. i can confirm that i worked in a restaurant with a salad station in the kitchen, and we had cambros filled with 1 bag of lettuce. at the end of the night if it wasn't done, a lid was put on it and back in the fridge. if it started to wilt we'd toss it and only open a new bag the next day.
#29
Escargot. Ugh. Be wary.
Those exotic looking shells are reused many times. After being sent through the dishwasher, sometimes extra care is taken to make sure the soap hasn’t settled inside the shell.
The snail meat itself comes from a can and is stuffed into the shells.
#30
The turkey in your Sunday turkey dinner at restaurant was likely cooked the night before. It sat out overnight cooling in the utility room. Maybe the automatic insect spray in the utility room dusted the turkey a few times during the night.
What do you think ?
Gg 1 year ago
Some of these are just mayhem. Reminds me of a guy I knew that wouldn't eat croutons from restaurants. He swore to me that they were made from bread leftover from tables the night before. They just cut it up and tada! Croutons. I had to explain to him how croutons are made. Guy wrote a paper signed off on by NASA but thought croutons were just old stale rolls cut up and thrown in salads.
Gg 1 year ago
Some of these are just mayhem. Reminds me of a guy I knew that wouldn't eat croutons from restaurants. He swore to me that they were made from bread leftover from tables the night before. They just cut it up and tada! Croutons. I had to explain to him how croutons are made. Guy wrote a paper signed off on by NASA but thought croutons were just old stale rolls cut up and thrown in salads.
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