This Is Where KFC Leftovers Eventually End Up

The fast food industry has a major waste problem. In the United States, the fast food industry produces roughly 4 million tons of food waste per year, according to recent market research. Companies aren't trying to buy more food than they can sell (that's just bad business), but sometimes it happens anyway. 

Some chains are better about waste than others. Panera recently came under fire for the waste created by its new Salad Stuffers. Meanwhile, McDonald's has managed to reduce its food waste to less than 1%. Many chains donate leftover food to charity, including KFC. Since 1999, KFC has donated edible leftovers to community nonprofits through its Harvest Program. But, according to former employees on Reddit, the chain also deals with leftovers the same way smart home cooks do; by repurposing them into new dishes. 

"At the end of the night we would put on gloves and remove the chicken from the bones so it could be used in the chicken pot pies," wrote one former employee, admitting, "I would eat like 10 thighs and legs before I actually contributed meat to the pot pies." Another noted that the chain used leftover white meat for the pot pies but typically didn't have much remaining by the time the restaurant closed. "Since it was more expensive, we tried to only cook breasts and wings as needed," they wrote. 

For some commenters, the biggest surprise wasn't that KFC is repurposing leftovers. "I honestly expected them to be shipped frozen and heated in an oven," wrote one Redditor. Apparently, the restaurant uses a combination of pre-made ingredients and leftover chicken to bake its pot pies: "The pot pies get made throughout the day as needed. We take a pie tin, scoop a mix of sauce/vegetables add chicken and put a flat frozen top on it," explained one Reddit comment. 

Admittedly, most of these commenters hadn't worked for the restaurant in years and the threads are quite old. The policy might've changed since then, but fast food joints now keep this kind of information under tighter wraps. Still, it makes sense that KFC would repurpose uneaten meat. Other chains get creative with leftovers, too. Wendy's reportedly adds leftover burger meat to its chili. One former Popeye's employee revealed that the chain adds old chicken scraps to its gravy, but also admitted that most leftovers end up in a dumpster. "It really felt like such a waste," they wrote. 

The prospect of eating two-day-old fast food scraps might seem unappealing, but the savvy business move helps keep costs low for customers. Plus, fast food chains are typically meticulous about food safety. If repurposing leftovers is one of the best ways to combat food waste in your own home, it seems like a logical way for fast food chains to fight the problem, too. Maybe it's time for Panera to follow KFC's lead: All that leftover bread could be used to make croutons.