Image Source / Photodisc / Getty Images Plus
What happens to all the food prepped for events that get canceled, such as the recent Game 3 at Busch Stadium? —Larry H., St. Louis
This was a legit (and timely) question, one we admit we'd never really thought about. The questioner wondered especially about the perishables, if there were contingencies, and even whether an insurer underwrites a sort of "adverse outcome" policy.
We reached out to the St. Louis Cardinals for answers. It should come as no surprise that venues like Busch Stadium and concessionaire Delaware North have to plan orders several days in advance. On normal game days, the expected attendance is known, as are the product sales at that level, and orders are placed accordingly. In the case of post-season play, when games are not guaranteed, orders are often placed in advance and executed the moment the next day's game is confirmed, which is possible since food and beer deliveries are made to the stadium around the clock.
Carson Shipley, multimedia communications strategist for the St. Louis Cardinals, posed the question to Delaware North. A representative replied, "Prepared food is difficult to reuse. With respect to NL Wild Card Game 3 that was not played at Busch Stadium, Sportservice has fed their internal teams lunch every day this week and as a thank you for all of their hard work this season and to make sure the food does not go to waste. Non-prepared food that has expiration dates (such as bread or vegetables) are donated locally to Operation Food Search and The Salvation Army. Over 23,000 pounds of food has been donated during the 2022 season with an additional 8,000–10,000 pounds of additional food items to be donated."
Jocelyn Fundoukos, director of communications at Operation Food Search, confirmed that as a "rescue food bank," the nonprofit can redistribute food items that have been "prepared but not set out." Similarly, local restaurants with extra food can place a call and have it picked up. "We work with several hundred agency partners locally," Fundoukos says. "It becomes a question of pairing partners' needs to whether they are close enough—and able to make—a pick-up. A big part of that program is matching up needs and logistics."
Tracy Bowler, Director of Marketing and Communications for St. Louis Area Foodbank, writes that "We take food donations of all kinds: fresh, frozen, shelf-stable, ready to eat, etc. We work closely with any donating entity to ensure that the food that they are donating is safe for consumption by those we serve."
Food Outreach, which provides nutritional support to combat HIV and cancer, has different parameters. Kathy Spencer, director of client services, says that because the nonprofit's clients are immunocompromised, safe handling food protocols are paramount and therefore can only accept non-perishable or frozen goods as well as locally sourced fresh produce.
When asked about food overages, Charlie Downs—co-owner of Sugarfire Smoke House, Sugarfire Pie, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Chicken Out, and Cyrano's—says the restaurants rarely have excess cooked product. "Our goal is to run out at the end of every day, and we usually get close," he says. Downs adds that any extra unserved food typically comes from catered events: "We call Loaves & Fishes or Operation Food Search, they make the pick-up, and it goes to people in need. Everybody wins."
Josh Allen, owner of Companion, replied that the question "hit on a nerve for me, so thanks for asking. We’ve been on a mission since 2017 to drastically reduce our food waste," he continues. "Fresh baked goods are incredibly difficult to donate due to their short shelf life and perishability. That and the fact that Panera and all of the grocery stores have donation programs set up as well. Unless we have excess product (out of date or a late cancellation) of frozen and palletized items, we don’t have much of an outlet. We have been working hard at developing a composting program so that most of our excess does not go to landfill, but the biggest thing we’re focused on is reducing the waste in the first place. It’s been enough of a mission that I did a Ted Talk on it last winter at TEDx St. Louis."
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram, or send him an "Ask George" email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe, sign up for the newsletters, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
