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Costco Dumps 25 Tons of Peanut Butter in Landfill

posted by n1 on Monday March 31 2014, @04:20PM   Printer-friendly
from the cant-make-profit-so-no-one-gets-benefit dept.

Papas Fritas writes:

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Costco will dump almost one million jars of peanut butter into a New Mexico landfill and bulldoze over them after retailer Costco refused to take shipment of the peanut butter and declined requests to let it be donated to food banks or repackaged or sold to brokers who provide food to institutions like prisons. The peanut butter comes from a bankrupt peanut-processing plant that was at the heart of a salmonella outbreak in 2012 and although "all parties agreed there's nothing wrong with the peanut butter from a health and safety issue," court records show that on a 19 March conference call Costco said "it would not agree to any disposition ... other than destruction."

Despite the peanut butter being safe, Curry County landfill employee Tim Stacy says that no one will be able to consume the peanut butter once it's dumped because it was immediately rolled over with a bulldozer, destroying the supply. Stacy added more trash will then be dumped on top of the pile. Sonya Warwick, spokeswoman for New Mexico's largest food bank, declined to comment directly on the situation, but she noted that rescued food accounted for 74% of what Roadrunner Food Bank distributed across New Mexico last year. "Access to rescued food allows us to provide a more well-rounded and balanced meal to New Mexicans experiencing hunger." No word yet on where anyone was going to find a million jars of jelly.

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by githaron on Monday March 31 2014, @04:30PM

    by githaron (581) on Monday March 31 2014, @04:30PM (#23635)

    I am guessing they are trying avoiding lawsuits in the event that someone ended up getting sick.

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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by tempest on Monday March 31 2014, @04:45PM

    by tempest (3050) on Monday March 31 2014, @04:45PM (#23645)

    Isn't there a way legally they could sign off responsibility to whoever takes it? (assuming it's fed to humans).

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by geb on Monday March 31 2014, @05:14PM

      by geb (529) on Monday March 31 2014, @05:14PM (#23661)

      I'm no expert on contracts/waivers in the US system, but even if there was an ironclad method to avoid liability, that won't stop the biggest problem which is damage to the brand and public image.

      It just doesn't look good to publically say "We tried to warn them of the risk, all the other jars are fine!"

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 31 2014, @04:51PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 31 2014, @04:51PM (#23650)

    I actually agree with the parent. Every single jar of peanut butter is a lawsuit waiting to happen, even if they give it away. Even if it's tested safe, Costco still assumes partial liability by handing that peanut butter over to the public. You could repurpose the lot into fertilizer or compost, but it's cheaper to bury the lot.