By Abdelrahman Abouelwafa
Numerous reports indicate food waste at Dunkin’ Donuts, the popular restaurant chain, where various branches dump leftover donuts in the trash after each shift.
The exact date the chain began disposing of leftover donuts after each shift is unknown, as it was kept secret from customers until some employees leaked the information.
According to a report reviewed by Food & Climate platform, reports dating back to 2015-2016 revealed food waste at Dunkin’ Donuts when the parent company began implementing policies to discard unsold food at the end of each shift due to health and legal concerns.
However, several explanations, such as those posted on Reddit, suggest that the policy is based on a quality standard that has been fundamental to the chain’s growth since 1950, when fresh daily baking became the standard for maintaining quality, as donuts noticeably lose their freshness 18-24 hours after baking.
Food waste at Dunkin’ Donuts raises questions
Food waste at Dunkin’ Donuts is a troubling issue. The company explains that leftover donuts from customers are thrown away because they become less appealing to customers after 24 hours of baking.
Other explanations suggest that donuts are discarded because no one would buy them if they were given away for free at the end of each shift, or that food regulations—depending on the country or state—do not allow the sale of food returned by other customers, regardless of the reason for the return, whether it’s something as simple as an order error or as serious as spoiled or damaged food.
A study by St. Edward’s University indicated that approximately 200-400 donuts are thrown away daily at each Dunkin’ Donuts location in the United States. A video posted on January 24, 2021, showed a Dunkin’ Donuts employee filming herself at the end of her shift throwing about 30 trays of donuts and doughnuts into a trash can.
Another video showed workers throwing away donuts and refusing to give any to the YouTuber who filmed the video, repeatedly saying that if he wanted donuts, he could buy them, but they wouldn’t give anything away for free, while continuing to throw the donuts from the trays into the garbage bin.
The separate production method creates the problem
The food waste problem at Dunkin’ Donuts stems primarily from how the donuts are prepared; they are not baked on-site, but rather at multiple central factories that deliver the donuts to Dunkin’ stores for sale.
The appropriate solution to the waste would be to store food properly in airtight, environmentally friendly rooms or bake donuts to order on-site. This would be more expensive for the stores, but it would significantly help in the near future to eliminate one of the many reasons for the large amount of food wasted annually. Food waste in America alone reaches 60 million tons annually, equivalent to 40% of the US food supply.
According to calculations by Food & Climate platform, Dunkin’ Donuts alone wastes 500 tons of food annually in America. The flour, eggs, and other ingredients used in their dough are enough to feed 125 families of four for a year.
The Dunkin’ Donuts chain was founded in 1948 by William Rosenberg under the name “Open” in Quincy. He later changed the name after realizing the popularity of dipping donuts in coffee before eating them.
The store became such a sensation among Quincy residents that the first franchise was granted just five years later in 1955. Dunkin’ Donuts has enjoyed tremendous success since its inception.