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TikTok video exposes Big W food waste: 'That's obscene'

Emily Lefroy
·2-min read

A TikTok showing an industrial-sized rubbish bin full of unopened chocolates has sparked outrage online, with users questioning why they weren't donated.

But the chain responsible, Big W, has responded to the criticism, insisting it was the store's only option.

The video, taken at the Chermside Big W in Queensland, has been viewed over 67,000 times.

"Tis the season to be jolly Large W would rather throw away food than clearance it," the video was captioned.

The video shows a green skip bin full of boxes and blocks of chocolate, including Cadbury, Old Gold, Lindt, Kinder and Darrell Lea.

Shoppers were shocked by the 'wasteful' act - but BIG W said they weren't fit for consumption. Source: TikTok
Shoppers were shocked by the 'wasteful' act - but BIG W said they weren't fit for consumption. Source: TikTok

TikTok users divided over video

Hundreds of users commented on the video in disbelief at the wastage.

"We waste so much!" one user said.

"'That's obscene," another said while one person called it "immoral."

Many suggested the food should be donated to those in need, particularly in the build up to Christmas.

However while many users were quick to slam the retailer for wasting food, some pointed out there are strict rules when it comes to selling edible goods and there are multiple reasons why it could be thrown out.

"Either could be out of date or product recalls or damaged/ tampered packaging," one user suggested. "Either way legally they can not sell it."

"I worked for Woolies for 16 years, this is not always the fault of [the store]," another wrote. "Recalls and withdrawals are common."

"Companies can face huge fines if they're caught selling out of date goods," added another.

The user who shared the video insisted the chocolate had not passed its use by date and had been sat around for a while.

Chocolate 'not deemed' fit for sale: Big W

A spokesperson from Big W told Yahoo News Australia the company donates left over goods when they can.

"BIG W works towards a zero waste policy and donates all excess goods to local charities," they said.

"On the rare occasion that a product is not fit for donation or consumption, we do responsibly dispose of that product.

"In this isolated case, a supply of chocolate in one of our stores in Queensland was deemed not fit for consumption, and therefore was disposed of."

The spokesperson did not clarify what was wrong with the discarded stock.

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