From Dumpster To Fork: A Dumpster Diver's Adventures At Trader Joe's & Whole Foods

Food waste in America is a concerning issue that raises many questions about our obsession with cleanliness and germs, common disregard for waste and overall modern consumption habits. Grocery stores, for one, have a nasty habit of pitching perfectly edible and healthy food on a daily basis.

In a recent episode of chef, activist and filmmaker Daniel Klein's "The Perennial Plate" via Grist, Klein follows a dedicated dumpster diver in Virginia as he gleans edibles from dumpsters behind Trader Joe's to feed his family. Approximately 75% of the food his family eats comes from a dumpster.

Dumpster Diver explains, "When I got here, we just happened to find a dumpster that is always overflowing with food." He's been at it for a little over a year, gaining about ten pounds and a mastery in thriftiness. Scoring finds like grapefruits, fresh mozzarella, challah and more in dumpsters, he's rich with free food. The video only shows him reaping the benefits of Trader Joe's waste, but Dumpster Diver also sources from Whole Foods.

Klein notes in his post that "around 40 percent of the food we produce in the U.S. gets tossed." L.A.-based director Jeremy Seifert, the man behind the documentary "Dive!," actually launched a petition via change.org last year to "Tell Trader Joe's To Stop Wasting Food!" Currently, the petition has garnered over 81,000 signatures. The aforementioned percentage of food waste along with Dumpster Diver's successes proves quite motivating for a dumpster dive session.

Los Angeles, with an abundance of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods gracing the area, what's stopping you from giving diving a go?

The Perennial Plate Episode 84: Dumpster Diver from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Lauren Lloyd in Food on January 9, 2012 4:30 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

rjhemedes

I commend them for not letting food go to waste, but at the same time they can't sue anyone if they ever experience a serious case of food poisoning. Dumpster diving seems repellent in the USA, but many people in 3rd World countries do it for a living.

The man and his brother that were interviewed while decently groomed had that same vibe you get when you meet homeless people. It must be hardwired into their genes to dumpster dive and forage.

AlisonAmazed

Huh? Wow...strange. "...same vibe when you meet homeless people..."? You mean humble? Peaceful? Relaxed? Not wasteful? Not greedy? as opposed to nervous frenetic consumer crazy energy, looking for the next fast-food, shop-a-holic, throw-away hit?

rjhemedes

Al, you obviously have not met enough homeless people. Many of them, especially the aggessive panhandlers those mentally disturbed and in need of psychiatric treatment and/or medication are anything but humble, relaxed, or greedy - especially when they are desperate for drugs they are addicted to. Homeless people can also be wasteful.

Those people shown in the video had a homeless vibe to them - but their energy level was different - its like when you meet homeless or spaced out people who are stoned on weed.

Most 'normal' people would not forage for food from dumpsters unless driven by poverty and hunger.

Jason Howard

Um.....I do not think the food in the video is delicious, while I think it is a little disgusting.

AlisonAmazed

You don't like French Toast made with eggs, cream, Challah and bananas? Each to his own!

PicoPhreako69

Actually, Chacun à son goût is always relevant.Besides, from what I know about D-D foraging (and which was very evident from the film), one only goes for foodstuffs/edible things which are sealed in bags and do NOT touch anything "dirty" (like, say, the inside of the dumpster itself). The narrator made a very good point about people now being so twitzy about "not touching" their food. Feh! That, and one should note these guys did their dumpster-liberating within a few minutes of the food being put in the dumpster, at night, when it was cool (temperature wise). That makes sense, too.