HOUSTON More grocery shoppers are looking to the bargain bin when they buy meat, but11 Newsfound out that if the meat is not sold, something good actually happens.
First of all, you should know most of the marked-down meat gets discounted about 50 percent. At Kroger, for instance, the meat goes to the marked-down section one day before the sell by date. It stays there only one day. Then any unsold meat is pulled, put in the freezer and donated to the Houston Food Bank.
Kroger donates an estimated $700,000 a month worth of meat to the food bank. All the major stores in our area also donate meat.
In the food bank s kitchen, the meat is cooked and included in ready-to-eat dinners. Those dinners go to Meals on Wheels, to Veterans who need assistance and to kids at community centers as part of the Kids Cafe program. One such program is LINC Houston in the Greenspoint Area.
Kroger representatives say they are happy to help feed Houston s hungry with meat that is still perfectly good.
It s product that I would certainly take home and feed to my family also, said Rebecca King, Kroger Consumer Affairs Manager. We do still throw away some product if it s spotty or it s leaky. We always say that if you wouldn t take it home and feed it to your family then we don t want to donate it to the food bank as well.
So next time you re in the store and see the marked down meats, just know if you don t buy them, they will end up on the plate of someone in need.
