Costco is choosing to dump 25 tons of peanut butter rather than donate it to food banks. he peanut butter was produced by Sunland, Inc, which 18 months ago had an incident with salmonella contamination and 6 months ago declared bankruptcy. The product cannot be sold in stores because of cosmetic issues involving peanut oil, but has been extensively tested and has been shown to be safe.
But this is not an attack on Costco or other bulk retailers. Rather it is an attack on a system of mass production that makes it preferable to throw away food rather than allow it to be eaten. It is the conservative ideal where, even if a resource is available, it is kept away from those who need but do not deserve it.
The waste here is staggering. Five million grams of protien,enough for 300 kids for one year. One million grams of dietary fiber, enough for 150 kids for one year. All in a landfill. From a capitalistic point of view, the legumes belonged to Costco, and they paid to process them, so they can do whatever they want. At the very least, I would like to see laws where such things are not tax deductible so I am not paying for the waste.