Tesco 'food banks' the irony...

bridgerr · 04/12/12 - 19:36

within minutes of stocking up her fridge with packets of ham, potato waffles and pies, police swooped on her home and arrested her for theft. Miss Hall, 22, who lived in a flat above the store, denied the charge but now faces the possibility of a jail sentence after admitting handling stolen goods in relation to the £200 haul of groceries.

She has condemned the police response as “totally out of proportion”, insisting she had only wished to prevent good food going to waste.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8548653/Woman-in-court-for-taking-waste-food-from-Tesco-bins.html

netcurtains · 04/12/12 - 19:44

Tesco said the food was worthless and threw it out so I can't see what the 'crime' is here?

degsyhufc · 04/12/12 - 19:46

Tesco 'food banks' the irony...

Not really.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Tesco Express store in Great Baddow, Essex, was forced to dispose of £10,000 of chilled food after a power cut disabled its refrigerators on January 29.

They would be in trouble if they donated that food.

Resonance · 04/12/12 - 19:49

If something is thrown out it should be fair game imo. Surely it's better than it going into landfill. Sometimes the law is an ass.

[Deleted User] · 04/12/12 - 19:50

Yeah I remember the thread when it happened last year.

degsyhufc · 04/12/12 - 19:54

Resonance wrote: »

If something is thrown out it should be fair game imo. Surely it's better than it going into landfill. Sometimes the law is an ass.

I'm not a stickler for Use By dates and try whenever possible to use common sense but who knows how long this food was left unfridgerated?

I doubt you'd get much sympathy if you ran back to Tesco saying you were going to sue them because you got food poisioning.

Voynich · 04/12/12 - 20:29

What an utter waste of tax payer's money that whole saga is.

JB3 · 04/12/12 - 20:41

I think the nazis instigated this in the 30's.

Resonance · 04/12/12 - 20:50

degsyhufc wrote: »

I'm not a stickler for Use By dates and try whenever possible to use common sense but who knows how long this food was left unfridgerated?

I doubt you'd get much sympathy if you ran back to Tesco saying you were going to sue them because you got food poisioning.

Oh don't get me wrong if eating the stuff gives you food poisoning then tough luck, but to prosecute someone for raiding bins is just wrong imo.

Alrightmate · 04/12/12 - 20:54

If Tesco threw it away then I don't see how they can say it's theirs anymore.

It's not as though she has done anything I'd see as criminal. I don't see how her actions deprived any other person or harmed them in any way.

Biffo the Bear · 04/12/12 - 21:39

SWIM used to take thrown away food from skips at the back of Asda in the late 90s; SWIM used to have some absolute feasts during that period.

DrFlowDemand · 04/12/12 - 21:46

I don't understand how they can claim she had $215 worth of food when it might have had that value from the shelves but food from bins has no resale value to Tesco.

She's admitted the crime but the charge ought to be handling stolen goods with a value of $0.

[Deleted User] · 04/12/12 - 21:52

This from the Judge is telling

Judge Rodger Hayward Smith QC adjourned sentencing until June 20. He said: "This is more complex than I thought. She cannot consume 100 packs of ham.
“She was the conduit, things were being collected in her flat and she was going to distribute them.”

Seems she was doing more than just receiving a little for herself.

Plus just because an items value is zero, that doesn't mean it can't be stolen.

MidnightFalcon · 04/12/12 - 21:55

I remember years back when I was homeless and penniless when I used to regularly grab a couple of loaves from the back of a particular bakery that were only going to end up in the bin.

The real crime is wasting good food like this when there are people starving.

WhatJoeThinks · 04/12/12 - 22:30

DrFlowDemand wrote: »

I don't understand how they can claim she had $215 worth of food when it might have had that value from the shelves but food from bins has no resale value to Tesco.

She's admitted the crime but the charge ought to be handling stolen goods with a value of $0.

I agree. If indeed they should even be considered stolen (scavenged is more like it) then she stole goods with a value of £0. Intent to supply others is a non-issue too, unless she intended to accept payment for them.

Sargeant80 · 04/12/12 - 23:19

Glad its been pointed out that the value of the goods is zero.

Other than arguing that they might have missed out on trade, Tesco also lost nothing.

[Deleted User] · 04/12/12 - 23:28

It isn't just Tesco that make the consumption of eating a bit of stuff that's been marked off and due to be flung in the bins a sacking offence even if it's perfectly edible. Just think of the publicity they'd recieve if they donated a lot of it to the homeless.

Reminds me of the worst job I had at NETTO when I HAD to throw a shitload of Carling away.

roland rat · 04/12/12 - 23:37

Resonance wrote: »

If something is thrown out it should be fair game imo. Surely it's better than it going into landfill. Sometimes the law is an ass.

If the food is outside in a bin, isnt it then in public domain, and anyone can rade the bins and take what they want

If supermarkets like tesco dont want us raiding there bins, make sure there inclosed and no one can get access by lifting of the bin lid

Think there a guy, and he been on tv, all he lives on is supermarket food which is binned

Now what she has done, and been charged for could have other consequences, anyone can go through your bin, so does this mean now, if the prerss rade your bin, are threy breaking the law

I hope the girl gets a good lawyer and fioghts this all the way

roland rat · 04/12/12 - 23:39

motsy wrote: »

It isn't just Tesco that make the consumption of eating a bit of stuff that's been marked off and due to be flung in the bins a sacking offence even if it's perfectly edible. Just think of the publicity they'd recieve if they donated a lot of it to the homeless.

Reminds me of the worst job I had at NETTO when I HAD to throw a shitload of Carling away.

we had stock take on last month, for us to get fully paid, we had to reduce, and get rid of cases of beer, by 4pm, which we did

24 case budwiser £2 bargin of a price

[Deleted User] · 04/12/12 - 23:39

Resonance wrote: »

If something is thrown out it should be fair game imo. Surely it's better than it going into landfill. Sometimes the law is an ass.

This.

roland rat · 04/12/12 - 23:47

Igotyoubabe wrote: »

This from the Judge is telling

Judge Rodger Hayward Smith QC adjourned sentencing until June 20. He said: "This is more complex than I thought. She cannot consume 100 packs of ham.
“She was the conduit, things were being collected in her flat and she was going to distribute them.”

Seems she was doing more than just receiving a little for herself.

Plus just because an items value is zero, that doesn't mean it can't be stolen.

100 packs of ham your honour, Im not going to sell them, they will do for me and my kids and will feed us for the next few months

I wonder if this judge has ever bought and frozen food, now instore when we have reductions, there one set of pakistanis come in every 4-6 weeks, and they buy all the reduced bread....20 loafs, all of which are frozen, and a few slices taken out every day

Xmas eve, loads of reductions, couple last year, had 4 trolleys with goods reduce to silly pennies..sirlion steaks 50p, roast beef joints 50p, they had enough meat to last 3 months or more

I ask the couple, what you going to do with the meat, sirlion steak, will be frozen, beef joint will be could, and then slice, and frozen

zx50 · 04/12/12 - 23:51

Alrightmate wrote: »

If Tesco threw it away then I don't see how they can say it's theirs anymore.

It's not as though she has done anything I'd see as criminal. I don't see how her actions deprived any other person or harmed them in any way.

It's just spitefulness on Tesco's part.

skinley · 04/12/12 - 23:55

DrFlowDemand wrote: »

She's admitted the crime but the charge ought to be handling stolen goods with a value of $0.

I agree, but I also think that if the food had been discarded (thrown into a bin), then it no longer has an owner, therefore it can't be stolen.

[Deleted User] · 05/12/12 - 00:01

How can you nick something that's been thrown out?

When I used to stay at the peace camp sometimes, they went skipping and the amount of totally edible, intact food they came back with was incredible. I never got ill from eating skipped food, everything from jam donuts to cooked meat. Just to clarify, I'm not saying it couldn't happen coz of course it could, it just didn't in my case, or in anyone's while I was there.

Some shops pour dye all over what they throw out as well though, which seems unnecessary to me. It's not as if they'd be held responsible if someone got ill from eating thrown out food, surely.

roland rat · 05/12/12 - 00:04

goonst wrote: »

How can you nick something that's been thrown out?

When I used to stay at the peace camp sometimes, they went skipping and the amount of totally edible, intact food they came back with was incredible. I never got ill from eating skipped food, everything from jam donuts to cooked meat. Just to clarify, I'm not saying it couldn't happen coz of course it could, it just didn't in my case, or in anyone's while I was there.

Some shops pour dye all over what they throw out as well though, which seems unnecessary to me. It's not as if they'd be held responsible if someone got ill from eating thrown out food, surely.

See this is why asda use compacter bins, no one can get to the food as it is all crushed up

Resonance · 05/12/12 - 01:31

roland rat wrote: »

See this is why asda use compacter bins, no one can get to the food as it is all crushed up

Sometimes I think the worlds gone completely mad.

'We don't want it, but we'll ruin it so nobody else can have it' is the attitude of a three year old who doesn't want to share a toy with their sister, so they trash it instead.

Truly truly pathetic.

Hey there!

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