- Household budgets are being squeezed by the highest inflation in a generation. Food prices are a particular concern.
- That’s making people look for ways to save on food.
- One answer is finding stores that sell expired or nearly expired foods.
On a cold winter morning in Chicago, people are lined up outside for the opening of Continental Sales, a family business just north of the city’s Midway Airport. They’re not waiting to buy the latest iPhone or tablet, but food that is expired or nearly expired.
Usually seen as garbage or unsafe, outdated and short-dated items are now coveted by people who find that switching to cheaper brands just isn’t enough to lower their food bills amid the highest inflation in a generation.
Outdated foods are those past their expiration dates, while short-dated foods have a short window, usually about 30 days or less, to expiration.
Even if eating outdated or short-dated food sounds unappetizing, it’s actually safe and a way to save money and cut food waste. Nearly 40%, or 108 billion pounds, of food is wasted in the United States each year, according to ReFED, a nonprofit dedicated to ending food loss and waste. The organization said half of the food thrown out by stores is because they’re worried they can’t sell past its “use by,” “best by,” or “sell by” dates.
But instead of tossing these items, they’re increasingly being bought by retailers such as Continental Sales to sell at deep discounts. And the response lately…
