‘Starving us on purpose’: Former grocery store employee exposes how stores allegedly handle perfectly good food behind closed doors

A TikToker who used to work at a grocery store has gone viral after claiming that stores regularly throw away perfectly good food instead of selling it at lower prices or donating it. The video, posted by @itskaylajaiden, sparked a wave of reactions online, with many users saying they were shocked and angry. According to her, the real problem is not a lack of food, but a system that puts profits above people.

@itskaylajaiden said in her TikTok video that during her time working at a grocery store, which she described as her second “big girl job,” she saw stores go through a process called “shrink.” This involves getting rid of food that is either damaged or close to its expiry date. But she also claimed that stores sometimes throw out entire shipments of perfectly good produce simply because there is no room to store them.

Rather than selling that food at a discount, she said stores choose to discard it. According to Daily Dot, she also pointed out that dynamic pricing, which means selling near-expiry products at lower prices, is only practiced by about 25% of stores across America. Her view is that companies would rather protect their profit margins than make food more affordable for people who need it.

Grocery stores allegedly destroy discarded food to stop people from taking it

Things get worse when it comes to food donations. @itskaylajaiden claimed that some stores lock their dumpsters, pour bleach on thrown-away food, and even burn it to stop anyone from retrieving it. She found this especially hypocritical given that many of these same stores put up signs for hunger relief and ask customers to donate to fight food insecurity. 

Her video quickly spread, and many people in the comments shared their own experiences working at fast food places, delis, and restaurants where good food was regularly wasted. The conversation also moved to Reddit, where opinions were divided. Some users pointed out that companies can actually receive tax deductions for donating food to qualified charities. 

Others argued that this still would not be enough to cover the full cost of running a food donation program.It is not the first time grocery stores have made headlines for surprising reasons, either, as one story even revealed a woman living inside a grocery store sign for a year.

One person said on @itskaylajaiden’s video, “i volunteer at a food bank and thrift shop twice a week, the amount of food we get from walmart to give away to people in need is crazy. im talking truck loads of food that nothing is wrong with at all!” 

However, many others felt that her firsthand experience still gave her valuable insight into how grocery stores operate from the inside.  The disconnect between wealthy lifestyles and everyday grocery realities was also on display recently when Donald Trump’s granddaughter visited a pricey California grocery store, drawing sharp reactions online. 

The video left a lot of viewers asking whether companies are truly “starving us on purpose,” which is also a phrase that trended in the comments. While it is hard to confirm every claim she made, her video started a much larger conversation about food waste and corporate responsibility in the grocery industry. 

The reactions show that many people feel the current system is failing them, especially those who struggle to afford groceries. Whether or not every detail of @itskaylajaiden’s account is accurate, the broader issue she raised, which is that stores may be destroying usable food while people go hungry, is one that clearly resonates with a large number of people.