11 Grocery Stores That Donate Their Unsold Food

Stroll the aisles of any grocery store, and as you are picking your preferred items, you may wonder what exactly happens to all the products that don't get purchased. From fresh fruits and veggies to dairy, meats, baked goods, and even prepared foods from the deli, grocery stores are ever-rotating their stock and all that hits the shelves in order to keep the freshest items current, and front and center to be sold. But, despite all these efforts, not every product will be selected by shoppers before that "sell-by" date. 

Before, these products were simply tossed, and what a waste that was. But now, the tides are turning, with some grocery stores across the nation deciding to come up with clever ways to ensure unsold fare winds up in needy hands, not the trash. So, rather than heading straight to landfills, surplus products are now being rounded up by certain grocery store chains, then redirected elsewhere, where they can really do some good, including food banks, shelters, and other community programs or institutions.

The premise is pretty simple, with retailers partnering up with these establishments to donate unsold articles. From fresh-baked goods that didn't sell that day to other items inching near that expiration date (but still safe to eat), myriad items are saved, then sent to where they can still be used, and make a difference. Here are 11 grocery stores leading the way.

We've aired gripes about the things customers hate most about shopping at Trader Joe's, so how about switching gears to more pleasant, uplifting things? While we could speak of our most adored Trader Joe's hall of fame items, showcasing the ways the grocery store donates unsold food is the order of the day. 

Though you may know your favorite neighborhood Trader Joe's for those sensational seasonal snacks you look forward to each year, or maybe the friendly employees clad in their iconic Hawaiian prints, this is one grocery store chain that is doing something behind the scenes that should really stick in your mind. Trader Joe's is taking its company effort, known as the Neighborhood Shares Program, and donating unsold food to individuals who really need it.

One of the most direct food donation initiatives in the grocery industry, this program has a premise that is simple and straightforward. Every Trader Joe's has pledged to donate all products (that means 100%) that are left unpurchased, but are still absolutely safe for consumption. A remarkable way to take what would otherwise end up in the trash, these items are collected and given straight to local nonprofit organizations, which then distribute them to individuals and families. Throughout the nation, this initiative now proudly partners with more than 2,000 nonprofits, and growing. Its impact is clear, as it's been reported in a recent year alone, Trader Joe's donated around 98 million pounds of food.

Did you know Kroger is the oldest grocery store chain in America? While the retailer may be old in years, it's gratefully keeping up with the current times when it comes to keeping its fingers on the pulse of what society values most, including donating unsold food to those in need. Seeing as Kroger has had more than a century to grow and evolve, it comes as no surprise that tackling food waste and hunger are now among the grocery store chain's active priorities. Establishing a large-scale launch of an initiative known as Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, Kroger is aimed at two specific, yet connected, itineraries. The chain is seeking to help feed communities, while also minimizing the amount of food discarded and going to waste.

Among the very ambitious aims of this initiative is Kroger's vow to donate billions of meals to people in need via food donation programs and partnerships. Working with outlets in need, like food banks, nonprofits, and national organizations that specialize in hunger relief (think groups like Feeding America and other community partners that help distribute donated food to people who need it most), Kroger is allowed to get its surplus items into the right hands, not the wastebasket.

Kroger has even upped the ante, throwing technology aids into the mix, using data and analytics to discover where food donations can have the most impact. Thanks to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, the company is redirecting excess food to needy communities nationwide.

Seeking ways to improve, like fixing its major waste problem, is nothing new to Walmart, and amazingly, when you're among the largest grocery store retailers in the known world, even tiny changes in the way you operate can have globally substantial benefits. Specifically in regards to Wally World, the mega company has set its mind to addressing hunger, turning food donation into one of the largest relief efforts in the entire grocery industry to date.

Throughout the last twenty years, Walmart has cemented itself as among the biggest partners (and contributors) to Feeding America, having donated more than an estimated 7 billion pounds of food since 2006 via a combination of Walmart stores, Sam's Club locations, and distribution centers. This is made possible thanks to a simple shift in thinking regarding where the food left unsold can go (other than the landfill). Rather than taking perfectly consumption-worthy products (think produce with cosmetic flaws or products nearing that "best-by" date, for example), Walmart instilled systems to redirect those articles to a wealth of worthy causes, and ultimately, individuals in need. 

Thanks to a partnership with a nationwide network of food banks through Feeding America, Walmart gets surplus groceries (quickly) to those who need them. Food is collected from Walmart stores and distribution hubs, then redistributed locally through community organizations. Walmart's commitment even extends beyond food donation via its Walmart Foundation, which funds nutrition education programs that help families learn how to prep healthy, budget-friendly meals.

When one thinks of famed grocery retailer Whole Foods Market, visions of high-quality, budget-busting, elite groceries and organic goods may spring to mind first. But, that honestly does Whole Foods Market a bit of a disservice, as there is so much more to this grocery store chain. The company known for its premium groceries is also a big fan of giving back. This can be seen in Whole Food Market's smattering of several initiatives aimed at both reducing food waste and aiding communities in accessing fresh, nourishing food. 

Regarding food donation directly, Whole Foods Market's In-Kind Donation Program lets local stores give surplus groceries directly to nearby nonprofit organizations in the area. Thanks to this initiative, products that are no longer able to be sold by the store (yet are still safe and nutritious), are donated versus discarded. As such, everything from prepared foods to produce, and plenty of pantry mainstays, now make their way straight to community groups solely focused on getting meals and groceries to those in need. And, since each Whole Foods partners with organizations in its own local neighborhood, the food often only has to travel short distances (thus increasing what is able to be donated exponentially).

The company also launched an initiative called Nourishing Our Neighborhoods, which focuses on food transportation, specifically providing refrigerated vans for nonprofit partners, allowing them to collect and deliver rescued groceries safely.

When it comes to fighting hunger, Publix doesn't just offer lip service. The major grocery chain has been vocal about focusing on serving local communities where it operates via several impressive initiatives. Among the most impactful of these initiatives is its Perishable Food Recovery Program. This program is designed to ensure nourishing food that can't be sold still ends up feeding people, rather than go to waste. How it works is that each and every day, the employees at Publix collect items that have gone unsold, but are still edible and able to be enjoyed (dairy products, deli foods, meat, fresh produce, and more), then donate those articles to local food banks and hunger-relief organizations throughout the Southeast region.

This program has grown over the years, and is doing great work. In fact, since 2009, Publix has reportedly donated over 800 million pounds of food to partner food banks connected with Feeding America (think hundreds of millions of meals for those experiencing food insecurity across the company's eight-state region within which it operates).

Publix has also tackled hunger in other ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the retailer began buying surplus produce directly from farmers who had lost restaurant buyers, then donating that to food banks. That initiative alone brought tens of millions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to needy communities. Beyond food donations, Publix also organizes initiatives that bring together food banks and community leaders in order to improve how hunger programs operate.

Aldi is known to be an excellent discount grocery store chain and an expert in the field of saving its customers money via low pricing and store efficiency. Customers are certainly grateful for these discounted goods, but what about those low-priced products that remain unsold? There is good news on that front, as Aldi works hard to ensure that quality food, when left unpurchased, won't go to waste.

Aldi accomplishes this in various ways, among which includes its long-standing partnership with Feeding America. Each of Aldi's American stores partners with a local Feeding America member food bank. Thanks to this partnership, the surplus groceries can move quickly from Aldi store shelves straight to community organizations nearby, which then distribute the products locally.

In this way, Aldi can work with food banks directly in the area, ensuring donations stay within the same region where the food products were first marked to be sold, thus shortening transport time, as well as allowing perishable products, in particular, to get to those in need, while still fresh. As Aldi has continued to expand this network for donations throughout the years, and across the nation, the network and suppliers involved in this particular outreach now number 25 locations. 

We've recently featured the very best Costco yogurts customers should buy, but what happens to the dairy and other expiring foods that don't get snatched up by shoppers? Step into any Costco warehouse, and rows of large quantities of food will greet you. Also here? Plenty of products not sold before reaching their "best-by" dates. Thankfully, Costco has stellar systems in place that are already set up to proactively redirect those unsold food items, getting them into the hands of the individuals that can really use them.

All throughout each day, Costco employees are instructed to keep an eye out for inventory that doesn't adhere to struct retail standards (a box of fruit featuring even one bruised piece, a bread loaf leaning close to its expiration date ... you get the picture). When these items are found, rather than being tossed in the trash, they are set aside to be given to one of the store's local nonprofit partners.

Many Costco locations partner with nearby food banks and charities, which pick up these products directly from the warehouse, then quickly transport them to distribution centers where volunteers are waiting to sort and deliver them to everywhere from community agencies to shelters, and even food pantries. This enables much of the food to reach the direct hands of those in need within just a single day of leaving the Costco store itself. In this way, Costco can redirect thousands of tons of food every year.

Target is perhaps most known for its chic home goods and other essentials, plus a full-on grocery market as well, but the company has also been building up quite the impressive program for reducing food waste and supporting hunger relief all across the nation. A large portion of that includes Target's work with Feeding America and its nationwide network of food banks.

For Target, the aim is to keep food in play whenever absolutely possible. This means instead of unsold groceries being sent to landfills, it donates to local organizations that can redirect them to where they can still be of good use. By incorporating this type of store-level, local donation partnership, Target is able to ensure its unsold food products get sent quickly to community recipients. Thanks to these types of efforts to give back, Target reported that in just a recent year alone, it donated more than 160 million pounds of food, which translates into roughly 134 million meals supplied for those faced with food insecurity.

Apart from its regular donating, Target also ups its support during certain seasons, such as the holidays, when food banks are known to experience a notable surge in need with individuals and families seeking assistance. Target's financial contributions and product donations during these periods aid local community organizations to further expand their reach to touch even more lives.

Food Lion's fight against hunger is no side gig. In fact, the grocery store chain's initiatives have a central role in the company's community mission commitment. Specifically, Food Lion has been working tirelessly alongside Feeding America for over 20 now, pairing up with the well-known platform to make sure the unsold food from its shelves goes for good rather than simply going bad. Among the Food Lion brand's most impressive initiatives is its Food Lion Feeds platform focused on hunger relief that was first established in 2014. 

The program focuses on bringing aid together, from food donations to financial support, and even encompasses volunteer efforts and community partnerships throughout the regions where Food Lion operates. Regarding food donations specifically, Food Lion is among the grocery store chains that rescues food by redirecting unsold, but still safe, grocery articles to local food banks and other organizations in need that are located within each store's community.

Since it's inception, Food Lion Feeds has provided more than a billion meals to local communities in need that are spread across its entire 10-state network of stores. Food Lion also organizes large seasonal campaigns (like its annual Holidays Without Hunger drive), where customers can donate food or money at checkout to support local food banks.

A known and trusted grocery store chain for decades, Safeway is often lauded for its produce and bakery wonders. What Safeway shoppers may not realize is just how much the grocery store brand does to ensure its unsold, surplus food items find their way to individuals in need. To make this happen, many of the Safeway stores pair up with regional food banks and nonprofit organizations. These institutions are charged with collecting unsold grocery items and then redistributing them via trusted programs (food pantries, shelters, and community meal programs, to name a few).

A prime example of this effort was revealed in Northern California, where Safeway collaborated with a food waste solutions company to strengthen its food recovery process. This partnership helped to not only support, but increase, donations to the local community food bank.

One more way Safeway goes above and beyond to fight hunger is through its Nourishing Neighbors program, which helps fund meal distribution programs, food banks, and school-based food access efforts. Thanks to this combination of initiatives, the Safeway company proudly delegates millions of dollars each year toward endeavors related to provide both food and financial assistance to those in need.

Meijer is no newbie when it comes to caring for the hungry. Among the grocery store chain's programs aimed at reducing food waste and supporting hunger-relief efforts throughout the Midwest is its food rescue initiative, which redirects unsold groceries from stores to local hunger-relief organizations. To do this, Meijer works with hundreds of food banks and community pantries across the region to ensure that surplus food items can quickly reach people in need rather than ending up in landfills.

One of the company partnerships it can be most proud of is its working relationship with Feeding America. Teaming together to aid the reach of donations through the nonprofit's nationwide network of food banks, this partnership nourishes and saves lives, while also minimizing Meijer food waste.

In addition to food donations to the needy, Meijer has also explored creative ways to prevent food from going to waste, one example being the Flashfood program. Launched in 2019, this mobile app allows customers to buy nearly expired food at half price. Shoppers can browse items through the app, make their purchases, then pick them up at their local store, thus helping Meijer sell products that might otherwise go unsold.