Food Rescue US, Trader Joe's Team Up To Deliver Food That Would Have Gone To Waste To Those In Need

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Food that would've gone to waste is now going to those in need thanks to Food Rescue US and Trader Joe's.

Food Rescue US' South Florida chapter has teamed up with grocery-chain Trader Joe's to help deliver food to local food pantries.

"There's so much food that goes to waste. Forty percent of all food is wasted and one in seven go to bed hungry, said Ellen Bowen, Site Director of Food Rescue US South Florida Chapter.

Bowen, with the help of Food Rescue volunteers, delivered a wide variety of food to the Liberty City food pantry and Village FREE(DGE) on Wednesday. The food was donated by the grocery chain Trader Joe's which established the Neighborhood Shares program to donate all food items that go unsold.

With the help of organizations like Food Rescue US, which delivers donated food to pantries and food banks, Trader Joe's has donated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of food to those in need.

In 2021, the company says it donated more than $349 million dollars worth of food items through its Neighborhood Shares program.

"Edible food should not be ending up in landfills or incinerators," said Anna Sacks, creator of @TheTrashWalker social media pages on Instagram and Tik Tok.

Sacks developed a large following on social media by sorting through items that were thrown away that are in usable, good condition. In one video, Sacks opens a trash bag filled with unopened and unused cosmetic items that were tossed in the trash by a local business.

Sacks told CBS4 News she came to Miami to connect with organizations that are also working to reduce waste, including food waste.

"When it goes to landfills it releases methane [gas] which is 30 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so by rescuing this we're not only helping feed people who are in a food desert, but also preventing the environmental harm of food going to a landfill or incinerator," said Sacks.