Would you eat food that has expired?

There’s a new grocery store/restaurant/teaching kitchen opening next year near Boston will offer only food that is already past its sell-by date.

Is this a bold attempt to make healthy food more affordable and reduce food waste? Or merely another way to make a buck off of those who have few options for shopping elsewhere?

Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe’s, is behind “The Daily Table.” He wants to take good quality food that grocers have to throw away and cook and sell it as low-cost prepared food.

Rauch says Americans trash up to 40-percent of their food every year because they don’t understand expiration dates. Expiration date refers to the last date a food should be eaten or served according to the manufacturer or producer.

The hybrid store will sell prepared food, like soups and casseroles, as well as packaged chopped vegetables for prices that compete with fast food, not brand-driven food. There will also be a kitchen area where people can learn how to cook with the healthy ingredients they purchase.

So… if you knew the food was safe to eat, but past the “best-by-date,” would you buy it?

I would if it meant giving my children fruits and vegetables and other healthy food I couldn’t otherwise afford.

Hunger is a very real issue in this country. Kudos to Mr. Rauch for trying to tackle this very large social challenge.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead

There’s a small non-profit organization in Chicago that is making a big difference in the lives of many who live in areas where grocery stores are non-existent or are overrun by fast food restaurants… it’s called Top Box Foods.

Top Box Foods primarily helps families who live in low-income neighborhoods buy nutritious meat, fresh fruits and vegetables at much lower prices than what’s offered in grocery stores. This isn’t charity, but a way to get high-quality food to where it is needed the most.

This is how it works: Top Box buys food from distributors and local suppliers and boxes it in several different ways (for example, the Garden Box is loaded with 10 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit). Then once, a month, the boxes are delivered to participating churches and other groups where they can be purchased. The boxes cost anywhere from $19 to $39 (and Top Box also accepts SNAP cards). Click here to see an average delivery day.

Could you live on $4 a day? That’s the amount food stamp recipients must live on, and there are more than 50 million people in this country who require food stamps to survive. Top Box Foods is directly addressing the issue of hunger and food deserts by offering access to foods many of us take for granted.

Top Box Foods isn’t really trying to change the whole world… just that part of it that goes to bed every night hungry  in America. That’s enough for now, isn’t it?

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