Oprah 2/27 FREEGANS

[luv-my-lexi]

The topic of contamination brings up a question for me. On the show, they found packages of fish in the dumpster. Fish, along with some other refrigerated items can spoil quickly. Do they just smell it, and if it smells okay, take it home and hope for the best? How do they know it hasn't been sitting in a dumpster for hours on end? I would worry about food poisoning. I'm not judging...just curious.

That was what I was wondering because fish, eggs and the milk they took all should be refrigerated and they didn't talk about the possibility of spoilage at all. For me ~ how long was it in trash bags in the store ~ before they even took it out to the garbage bins?

[sdrjeolsen]

The topic of contamination brings up a question for me. On the show, they found packages of fish in the dumpster. Fish, along with some other refrigerated items can spoil quickly. Do they just smell it, and if it smells okay, take it home and hope for the best? How do they know it hasn't been sitting in a dumpster for hours on end? I would worry about food poisoning. I'm not judging...just curious.

I thought the same thing about the fish. I guess I would draw the line at some of the things that spoil quickly, unless I knew it had just been put out.

[IntlMom]

I thought the same thing about the fish. I wouldn't do stuff like meat and dairy. I'd even have a hard time with loose produce. But packaged stuff, no problem!

[elphaba]

Very valid points but I think I like knowing that
the food sold in the stores are suppose to meet
at least some type of control and inspection
standards. Speaking only for myself only it kind
of takes a way from a package of bright red
tomatoes that look fresh and ready to eat coming
out of a filthy unsanitized dumpster. IMO
No flames please.

ITA! I was just making a point about food safety in general. It's kinda scary to think foods aren't being properly stored in the first place!!!
Now as for fish, milk etc in a dumpster..uh...no I don't think I could do that!!

[Persimmon Lace]

I don't know, after watching Les Stroud on Survivorman eat the rest of an eagle's leftover salmon, cooked of course, I'm thinking what's the difference! He's still living and didn't suffer any ill effects. Course he's probably got the stomach of a billy goat!

[elphaba]

I don't know, after watching Les Stroud on Survivorman eat the rest of an eagle's leftover salmon, cooked of course, I'm thinking what's the difference! He's still living and didn't suffer any ill effects. Course he's probably got the stomach of a billy goat!

I LOVE that show!!!! Yes, he eats some strange things doesn't he?
I grew up poor and I know for a fact that we often ate questionable food. My Dad, in his later years, ate stuff that I know was close to rotten! We used to joke that eating a ton of bacteria was his secret to long life! He had built up quite an immunity by the time he reached his late 70's!

[AmeliaM]

I'm guessing that some of the more questionable stuff can be composted if you have one.

I know in Germany they have a very indept recycle program...everything has a container and you don't have to wash it out-they do. They can also give you a bin for food scraps which go into a compost pile that is open to the public if I rem correctly. I had a friend from there tell me about it. You actually get fined if you aren't recycling....but in the US they say it costs to much to do everything.

[HandyMom]

After viewing Denvergirlie's photos of what she found in dumpsters, I can't for the life of me understand why perfectly good zip bags and other office supplies were thrown in the garbage!

On the Oprah show, I don't understand why food that is not even out of date is thrown away. Why oh why? I wish I knew someone from a retail store that could answer why that is done?

Target, I know, donates items to Goodwill. Big lots, I think, may do so also, but I'm not sure. So why don't other stores? Is there a profit to be made from claiming losses on their income taxes or what? I wish I knew.

[happimommi]

My concern was when they found the bagels and they were in a black trash bag. I was told not to store food or other things in those because they have pestacides in the plastic. Does anyone know if this is true?

[shortstack]

I know you were joking about your dad's secret to longevity but do you think there might be a small inkling of truth to it? My husband gets sick to his stomach very easily from food but I do not. He always tells me it is because my mom used to feed me things that should have been thrown out.

Andrea

I LOVE that show!!!! Yes, he eats some strange things doesn't he?
I grew up poor and I know for a fact that we often ate questionable food. My Dad, in his later years, ate stuff that I know was close to rotten! We used to joke that eating a ton of bacteria was his secret to long life! He had built up quite an immunity by the time he reached his late 70's!

[elphaba]

I know you were joking about your dad's secret to longevity but do you think there might be a small inkling of truth to it? My husband gets sick to his stomach very easily from food but I do not. He always tells me it is because my mom used to feed me things that should have been thrown out.

Andrea

Yes...even though I was joking I actually believe his way of eating actually benefited him throughout his life, Although he passed away last summer (aneurysm....non food related medical issue) I truly feel that he had built up quite an immunity to the simple bugs we all seem to catch. He was rarely sick and never saw a doctor until he was 72...and that was for a massive stroke from which he fully recovered. My Dad worked every day of his life from sunup to sundown...hard physical labor as a produce farmer. Most of our food was from the fields, hunted or day old from the grocery store. Dad canned his own food right up until his death and I can honestly say that some of his canned goods were borderline botulism in his later years. How he didn't get sick from those I'll never know....I never ate them!.
But he always told me that my kids needed to eat a ton of dirt before they die....meaning that they need to be exposed to bacteria in order to build up a strong immune system. In effect....don't be so clean! I know there is alot of controversy about how germaphobic our society is....it's supposedly making us more sick, not less. And while I don't advise people eat rotten food (and I certainly don't plan to!) I guess some of the cast offs from the grocery stores wouldn't bother me as long as they were stored properly and not exposed to rodents. I loathe rodents...they carried the Plague ya know!!!
Whether or not we feel comfortable eating these foods is a personal choice....it's the fact that this food goes to waste in the first place that really bothers me.

[rachelMcK]

I grew up poor and I know for a fact that we often ate questionable food. My Dad, in his later years, ate stuff that I know was close to rotten! We used to joke that eating a ton of bacteria was his secret to long life! He had built up quite an immunity by the time he reached his late 70's!

Thats so true!! My grandparents were the same way. Once they made chili out of 3 year old hamburger that had thawed and refroze I don't know how many times. They made me, my uncle and aunt all eat it and it tasted so rancid, we ate it because my gramma watched us, then she served us another bowl and went inside (my uncle then dumped our chili), our grandparents ate 2 bowls each. We were deadly ill with food poisoning the next day or so, my grandparents thought it was delicious and were convinced we only had the flu because they weren't sick at all.

[lisettelovebug]

I remember maybe a month or so watching something on tv about a boy trying to get a law passed in his state to allow restaurants and buffets to be able to donate leftover food. I can't remember where I saw it, though for some reason I think the kid was in florida. I think all this food should be donated w/out them fearing lawsuits.

[RABBIT]

I mentioned this on another thread, Mr. Rabbit doesn't dumpster dive but he does check out garbage cans at 3 car washes on the way to work. He started out just looking for returnables but then started finding other things too. I won't list all the stuff he has found but I will tell you what he brought home today.

$2 worth of returnables
2 bottles of water
2 liter pop
large can energy drink
a new in package - poster, velvet w/markers that you color
a present wrapped! - boys toy around $16 I would guess
metal square basket

It's unbelievable what people throw out when they want to clean their cars out. Most of the stuff we sell at our garage sale.

[canadian]

(May 2010), looking to try dumpster diving in Denver (would prefer near the university of Denver) and am looking for good spots. Any suggestions?