Where did all the pumpkins go?

[Pebble21uk]

So while I was out this morning I thought I might pick up a pumpkin! I don't have children so hadn't bought one for carving etc, but thought maybe I'd make some soup as there had been a glut of them everywhere I went last week. But not a pumpkin to be seen! I was in both Morrisons and Tesco (large stores) and not one single pumpkin between them.
So what happens to them? They all had far more than they could have sold. I'd like to think they are given to charity kitchens etc, but I fear perhaps they are on a pumpkin heap of doom somewhere!

I thought the carving type is not particularly good for cooking? I’m thinking they are fed to farm animals (I hope).

They are returned as food waste. Carving pumpkins are not edible food grade.

The place we went to pumpkin pick said that the zoos were collecting the waste.

The carving ones are all stringy and seedy- not that solid flesh you want to eat.

I only bought my pumpkin yesterday and there was only a few left

I never knew the pumpkins sold by supermarkets weren't food grade! I know squash tend to have more taste, but I'm surprised by that! Thanks for the head's up!

You can eat carving pumpkins - there are just better options.

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2016/27-10-2016#:~:text=Carving%20pumpkins%20tend%20to%20be,using%20them%20for%20pumpkin%20soup.
carving pumpkins tend to be stringier and more watery than pumpkins grown for eating. Therefore, if you do want to use the insides for cooking once they’ve been scooped out - we recommend using them for pumpkin soup

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/can-you-eat-the-pumpkin-you-used-for-a-halloween-jack-o-lantern_uk_65310704e4b03b213b08d2f5

A lot of the don't eat stuff seems to be assuming people are carving then putting outside then considering eating - which is odd stance to take.

TBH though last week many in the shops looked ropy or like they were going rotten already - so assume they have been taken of shelves and sent for compost or other waste disposal.

You can definitely was eat 'carving pumpkins', they're not poisonous

I'm eating mine for dinner - pumpkin katsu curry

They are not harmful to eat but they aren't grown for cooking. They seem to be more popular to eat in the US but in the UK they are only in supermarkets for Halloween and are grown specifically for that, not to eat. They don't taste of anything.

We have in the past bought ones for cooking with in UK supermarkets- and done the same as with carving ones roasted and added spices. While the varieties grown for eating do have much more flavour - TBH recipe we use for pumpkin once you've added the spices you cant really taste the pumpkin much either way.

The shops get of them immediately, they want to move on to flogging the next thing.

Same for Easter, Valentines etc, they clear the shelves the same night and put out whatever is up next.

Yes, I was in Sainsbury's at 9.30pm last night. They were taking down the Halloween displays and putting the Christmas stuff up.