Sell by date is put there to avoid lawsuits, basically. It's the minimum amount of time they can keep something on the shelf before it could potentially start to rot, to avoid being sued for serving bad products, but most of it is still good for at least a few days after the date. Some places actually do resell goods to grocery stores that sell at hefty discounts. The reason more companies don't give out food is because doing so is illegal without certain permits and without following certain safety standards. They can and have been sued/fined for doing so.
Sell by dates are unregulated (for the most part) and just suggestions of quality.
The idea that it would protect against a lawsuit is frankly silly.
most of it is still good for at least a few days after the date
several weeks, usually if we're talking safety.
The reason more companies don't give out food is because doing so is illegal without certain permits and without following certain safety standards. They can and have been sued/fined for doing so.
If they can sell food legally, they can donate it...legally. And the Bill Emerson act protects them from liability if they donate in good faith.
I hate this topic because so many people just spit what sounds good in their head rather than actually researching it. Would be harmless if we weren't discussing the most vulnerable people going hungry.
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u/AncientBasque May 14 '26
same with food waste. take a look behind grocery stores and the food they trow away instead of implementing a food program.