With grocery prices higher than ever, it may come as a surprise to learn that stores still end up with large amounts of unsold food every day. Rather than automatically tossing everything that doesn’t sell, many retailers use a variety of programs to reduce waste and recover some of their losses.

Here are some of the most common things that happen to unsold food behind the scenes.

Mark It Down for a Quick Sale

Before food ever reaches its expiration date, many stores try to sell it at a steep discount. You’ll often find clearance racks filled with bakery items, meat, dairy products, and produce that need to be sold quickly. For stores, it’s a way to recover at least some of the cost before the product becomes unsellable.

Donate It to Food Banks and Charities

Many grocery chains partner with local food banks and hunger-relief organizations to donate food that is still safe to eat but can no longer be sold. This often includes produce, dairy products, baked goods, and packaged foods nearing their best-by dates.

Food banks are trained to assess food safety and can distribute many products long after stores have removed them from shelves. Millions of pounds of food are recovered this way each year.

Sell It to Salvage Grocery Stores

Some grocery chains sell close-dated products to discount and salvage grocery stores that specialize in reselling food at deeply reduced prices. These stores often purchase overstocks, discontinued products, damaged packaging, and foods nearing expiration.

Turn It Into Animal Feed

Certain foods that are no longer suitable for human consumption can still be used to feed livestock. Produce, grains, bakery products, and other organic foods are sometimes diverted to farms rather than thrown away.

This practice helps reduce waste while providing farmers with a lower-cost source of feed. Regulations vary by location, but it remains a common alternative to disposal.

Send It for Composting or Energy Production

Many grocery stores now work with composting facilities and anaerobic digestion plants. Instead of sending food waste to a landfill, the material is broken down and turned into compost, fertilizer, or renewable energy.

Some facilities even convert food scraps into biogas that can be used to generate electricity. It’s one of the fastest-growing food waste solutions in the grocery industry.

Throw It Away

Despite all the alternatives, some food still ends up in the trash. Products that are spoiled, contaminated, damaged, or unsafe to consume often have no other destination.

Many retailers are working to reduce landfill waste, but disposal remains the final option when food can no longer be safely donated, repurposed, or recycled.