Hello,
I was wondering if such an app exists in Taiwan as it does in Europe. Basically restaurants and food shops enlist their expiring food and sell them just before the limit date at a great discount price or at the end of the day for restaurants.
I am amazed by the quantity of food everywhere in shops and restaurants here in Taiwan and I am quite certain there is a huge amount of food simply thrown away. Such a shame.
Well if this does not exist, someone with great developing skills should make it!
Happy LNY !
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I couldn’t find anything like this in Taiwan. In the states grocery stores, supermarkets, and other food distributors usually have a setup with food banks and churches who gives them out to homeless or other people who needs them. The objective isn’t necessarily charity but to reduce food waste.
I looked everywhere in Taiwan for anything like this and I simply can’t find it. I have a feeling many Taiwanese businessmen would simply relabel them and sell it as though they are fresh.
Oh really?
Good thing for the shops at least.
But for restaurants, there must so much leftovers everywhere…
What do you mean you’re amazed by the quantity of food?
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I’m going to add I made a thread a while back about food banks and stuff. I went to their website and there is absolutely NOTHING on how you can get help. It looks like there are application process, almost like getting food stamp in the states. And you have to have government verified low income, meaning you must be a Taiwanese citizen with household registration in the same place you live in, AND qualify for low income (very hard to do in Taiwan).
However they have ample information on how you can donate to them.
They are basically “charity” organizations where the executives drives a Mercedes/BMW and little, if any help is given to the needy.
@Marco Restaurants by hundreds (thousands I should say), countless food shops, supermarkets… I just imagine that not all can sell all their food before it expires.
Don’t…all developed countries have many restaurants in their big cities?
Well yes, that’s where such apps I’m talking about come useful. It exists in Europe and in the US, why not here?
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I reckon that it could be because nobody wants to get sued. Opening and closing a lawsuit was surprisingly easy, speaking from personal experience.
Canada, when I lived there, had no such app and it was often company policy to toss expired food so as to avoid lawsuits.
But restaurants here, I reckon also know their clientele and usually prefer not to over-order as well. It has not been an uncommon occurrence that I walk into a restaurant and the lady tells me that they’re sold out of that item.
And then in terms of convenience stores, food close to expiring, in my experience can be given away privately. I know the manager of one of the convenience stores near work and every now and then she gives me stuff like chocolate nearing the end of its life. I aint gonna say no.
7-11 workers get some of the expiring food to take home. But it probably depends on the owner and not is a company wide policy.
I can confirm that. I worked at family mart and we’re allowed to help ourselves to expired food. However legally this isn’t ok. Stuff like bian dang are good for 12 more hours after expiration, same with the sushi stuff. The fish ball is good for about the same amount of time.
Best is drinks and stuff. Though they rarely expire they do happen and they’re good for at least a week following expiry.
But the fact is, restaurant food is no good more than 12 hours old. I’m talking about raw food and stuff, but restaurants will NEVER throw those out. They’d rather cook them expired than give them out.
What’s the app called that works in Europe?
Among others : Too good to go, Karma, resQ club
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Because the portions are not gargantuan? Also, there is a local culture trait of using every bit.
Most local restaurants actually have issues because of using expired food materials.
For example, there was a problem with a certain local wholesale market because restaurants owners would pick up the rejected/discarded vegetables to make food to sell.
Considering Taiwanese have plenty of apps and developers, if you think this app is needed, then do it yourself. But do not think that because they lack the same modus operandi as the West, the Taiwanese are in any way wasteful or unconcerned. There are plenty of ways, different ways Taiwanese make sure those in need have food. From government programs to neighborhood lizhangs to temples and churches, everyone is trying to help.
To assume that because they do not have an app they are behind somehow, it is like complaining because the locals do not have sour cream in every 711.
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Very interesting point of view. Thank you.
It would be awesome if they did, though.
Water buffalo sour cream, mmmm.
Pigs. Analogue.
Regular ol’ Daisy brand works for me, but you do you.
What I mean to say is that people work with local stuff. Milk cows were imported very recently, and locals used water buffalo for centuries as agricultural plowing machines, not milk. There is no tradition of local buffalo mozzarella. Hence, mostly imported folk have the craving for sour cream at 3am, hence needing 711 to carry it, hypothetically speaking.