AIBU to think Iceland should have to make a huge donation to food poverty charities

[RocketPanda]

Their entire stock of frozen food containing animal products in Ireland has had to be destroyed. Regardless what you think of their products this amount of food going to waste leaves me disgusted and it obviously cannot go to consumers.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp69z614ngyo

No I think it's the Irish being too picky!

Picky about following traceability legislation? Jog on.

It sounds more like a paperwork error than anything actually wrong with the product so no they shouldn't have to waste the product or pay a huge donation

If I was making paperwork errors for three months I'd be up shit creek.

they should be fined for not following the current legislation

not sure why they should give to charity.

They've been penalised by having their stock destroyed and may face fines and legal action. I don't see why you'd expect them to donate to charity because of this, if I fucked up at work in my job it might be a disciplinary or performance issue (or a legal one) but there'd be no expectation that I donated to charity to make up for it.

I suspect they’ve somehow fallen foul of post Brexit paperwork. The company will take a massive hit in losing all that stock so have more than paid for their mistake - where does any obligation to donate to charity come into it?

Do you mean they should donate the unsaleable food to donation charities? I don’t think that it’s ethical to expect charities to take food that hasn’t been deemed fit for sale

however, I don’t think they should destroy the food. Instead, I think it should be made free to anyone who wants to take it, with explicit warning that it hasn’t met regulations

I just hate to see food waste when so many people can barely afford the basics, looks like I'm wrong to think like that.
I do hope the staff get what's owed to them.

I meant financial contribution not donate the food.

Households cause 70% of the UK’s food waste, throwing away 6.6 million tonnes of food, of which 4.5 million tonnes is edible.
https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/home-hub/food-waste-facts-and-statistics

It will be the Dublin / EU authorities that made the decision to destroy or return the food. Probably due to a paperwork error. The same food could be delivered without that paperwork to anywhere in EU before Brexit. Once it is refused entry into the EU it can only be returned, sold outside the EU or destroyed there is no option to donate it.

Another consequence of the sunny uplands that is Brexit. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Presumably, they’ll send it back to the U.K. and let the Brits eat it.
Seems fair.

I don't know

It doesn't sound right that something that hasn't met regulation will go to the most desperate people. Slippery slope.

Speaking in general, it's not on the same level as selling "best before" a bit late.

Two things. Firstly it's not a paperwork error when your entire inventory for three months has to be destroyed. An error is one shipment. It's something completely different when the Food Safety Authority says your entire system isn't fit for purpose and nothing you declared can be trusted to be from where you say it is, be it meat, eggs, milk etc. That's willful negligence.

Secondly, Iceland has shut in Ireland now and laid off all it's workers. It's obviously a really big deal to them.

And another thing, it was also the Irish Food Safety Authority that discovered all the British companies putting horse meat into the food chain, so I'm glad they are still on top of things!

It is obviously more than a paperwork error as PP clarified. Iceland seem to be in trouble generally. What I object to regarding them, is that they accept Healthy Start vouchers for any old crap. Those vouchers are provided for children to have healthy, nutritious food (which Iceland does sell) yet they are being exchanged for rubbish and the parent's benefit

So poor people should only be allowed to buy certain foods on an approved list? Maybe they are using the vouchers to ensure their children eat something. Some families have their reasons for buying 'crap'.

I'm assuming the vouchers can't be used for alcohol or tobacco?

I imagine someone will lose a job for this. I hope most of the paperwork can be sorted or sold in the UK so this doesn't go to waste, I don't see why this requires a donation, though.

Beside the point but I didn't realise we still had any Iceland branches in Ireland, our local one closed at least 20 years ago and I have never seen one here since.