Where do all the unsold cakes go?

Ruby, first I want to appreciate you for caring. Most people probably don’t think about this issue while they are serving themselves at the hot bar. However, this is a very legitimate concern and I completely understand why you would rather the product go to team members than to compost. In the past it was the standard procedure. I used to work at the old Sixth street store across the street from the new location and loved working at night because at 8:00 pm they would make an announcement that all the hot bar food was available at a significant discount. Additionally, we used to be able to get old fruit, damaged grocery items, etc. all for a discount. Unfortunately, the reason we don't do it anymore is a case of a few bad apples ruining the bunch. (No pun intended) :)

What happened was a few people started to discount items that were perfectly fine for regular sale or they would purposely damage the items so that they could get it for next to nothing. This problem was happening companywide and teams started to see their spoilage going way up. So the solution was to stop giving away or selling discounted items.

With that said, I would like to add that the left over food is stored and reused for a day or two, depending on the product. We always check to be sure it is still to meets our standards for quality and freshness. This process significantly lessens the amount that we send to be composted.

Believe me, I really miss the days of discounted products, especially now that food prices are so high, but we try and stay within projections so as to limit what gets tossed and compost it instead of sending it to landfills. In my heart I really wish we could give it to the homeless shelter, since those are the folks that really need it, but as I said before, they won't take product that isn't packaged and sealed. If you have any suggestions, now that you know why we can’t discount to team members, I would love to pass them on. – Jessie

Hey Ruby, I just wanted to chime in and personally thank you for asking this question. I've worked at Whole Foods Market for 7 years and I don't think I've ever seen a better response to this issue than what Jessie's -- so a BIG thank to Jessie too!

As I'm sure you can agree after reading his well-informed responses, spoilage and what is done with it is a complex issue involving local, state and federal laws, along with the specific policies of Whole Foods Market and those of the non-profits (shelters, food banks, etc.) that our stores across the country partner with. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our business there will always be waste. It's definitely important to note, however, that waste impacts our bottom line and therefore it is always in our best interest to improve projections and work limit waste across all product categories. While it's not easy to accurately project, I know for a fact that those team members responsible are working very hard to continuously improve projections and limit waste.

Anyway, thanks, again for your question and keep 'em coming!