Ask the manager what the shop is throwing out

You have probably seen it: a bakery tidying up at closing time, a deli counter being cleared, a convenience store emptying its hot case. Some people who work in shops and kitchens say they throw away large amounts of food that is edible, and some say it distresses them. If money is tight, the thought arrives on its own: could I just ask?

Ask a manager, politely and once, whether any food that is about to be thrown away is something they could give you; if the answer is no, thank them and ask somewhere else.

Why the answer is often no

It helps to know before you go, so a no does not land as a judgement of you. Some people say employees at a big convenience chain are barred by company policy or health rules from giving away food past its date, even to police officers, and that some franchises send it to charity instead. Some people say businesses turn down handing food directly to individuals, especially homeless people, because they fear lawsuits, health-code trouble or problems with safety, and would sooner route it through charities and shelters. Some people also say that fresh food in bakeries, convenience stores and similar places is thrown out at set times, often at closing or midnight, which is the window in which asking makes sense.

One person pointed out that throwing the food out at midnight is a business rule, not a universal legal requirement, and that it varies from one franchise to the next: some let staff keep it, some ban that and some treat it as theft. Another pointed out that stores throw food out mainly because managing leftovers costs more in labour and transport than the food is worth. Some people say stores fear being sued; one person calls that fear a rumour, and another says the threat is real. The law paragraph in the questions below says what the USDA says.

Who to ask, and how

Ask for the manager rather than the person at the till. Some people warn that employees can be sacked for giving food away, and that is the reason this page points you at the person who sets the rule, not at whoever is serving you. One person warns against being pushy or acting as though you are owed it, especially when the person you are asking could lose their job. One person says some managers refuse over liability or corporate rules and others are happy to say yes if approached the right way. One person suggests that building a relationship with a local grocer, through regular visits, can lead to near-date or surplus items handed over free as goodwill, so a shop that knows you may be worth trying first.

Where it works varies. One person who was homeless describes getting dinner by asking restaurants and shops for the food they were about to throw away, in parts of Europe and in Puerto Rico, and says they had not tried it on the US mainland. Another says that American company rules often treat staff taking discarded food as theft, which fits the chain above. Neither can tell you about the shop on your street.

What to take, and what to leave

The safe food is the food whose history somebody can vouch for: sealed packaging, or something kept cold or hot the whole time. The USDA says perishable food should not be out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, so cooked or chilled food where the staff cannot say how long it sat out is a no. One person warns that meat that has sat warm all day is a higher risk than other foods, and another that unsealed packages and cold food found outside refrigerated cases should be thrown away. Some people warn that eating a very large amount of anything at once can upset the stomach, whatever its quality.

If you are handed cooked food, get it into the fridge within 2 hours, reheat it until it is steaming hot, and use it within 3 to 4 days of when it was cooked, so ask when that was; the USDA gives these as its rules for leftovers. The page called Check which date it is before you bin the food covers what a date on the packet means.

Who this page is not for

If you need a meal today, this is the slow way, and a no is common. The page called The pantry is for weeks like this one is the quicker door, and 211, Feeding America and the USDA National Hunger Hotline are listed below, with Trussell for the UK.

If you work at a shop that throws food out, this page is not about you. Some people warn that taking food home can cost you your job and can be treated as theft, and that a manager may have forbidden it. Asking from outside is a different thing from taking from inside.

This page does not carry any story told to get food, such as claiming to work somewhere you do not. One person calls that dishonest, and the plain ask is the one that costs nobody anything.

If you are pregnant, or the food is for a baby, an older adult or someone with a weak immune system, read the date page in the safety box first.

The shop was going to throw the food out either way. All that asking changes is whether somebody gets to say yes.