Here at Evergreen Language School, we specialize in teaching conversational English and Japanese, reading, writing, listening, test preparation, business, KIDS English and so on. One of the other things we love to do is discuss CURRENT EVENTS 時事問題. We do this in classes and in our Saturday afternoon LOUNGE from 12pm - 12:50pm. Here is one of the topics we are discussing this week. Please listen and follow along by reading the transcript below. Also, come and join us for 1-free LOUNGE or sign up for online lessons.
TRANSCRIPT
Food Waste:
"I read recently that Starbucks decided to do their part to reduce food waste. This is how – They will be marking down select bakery products by 20% several hours prior to, or before, closing. In addition, they will donate part of the revenue of these discounted sales to a local non-profit which provides meals for children across Japan."
What do you think about this?
"I started working at a fast-food restaurant near my house when I was 16 and worked there for 2 years. This was back in the 80’s. Each night, after closing, we had to count all of the cooked leftover food – that means the hamburgers, the French fries, the apple pies...Mmm...I loved those fried apple pies. I still do, but now, I have to watch my waste line. I remember when they started baking their apple pies instead of frying them. They were still good, but not as good. I don’t go to fast food restaurants for healthy food. I go there for a guilty pleasure. I digress. Where was I?"
"Oh yea. So anyway, we had to count the food at the end of the day. Then, depending on which manager was working that night, we were either allowed to take that food home for free, OR we had to throw it away in the trash. Throw it away in the trash? I never understood the logic behind that. Right? Ok, so you don’t want your employees to take it home and eat it because...maybe you don’t want them to get sick and sue the company? Ok. But it wasn’t sushi, which has a very short shelf life. A fast-food hamburger can sit on your table for a month and still be eaten, right? They’re loaded with preservatives. They last forever."
"Anyhow, if the food is unsellable, meaning it can’t be sold, but is still edible, or can be eaten, there are other choices aside from throwing it out. Right?"
"Let’s go back to that 20%. Ok. They reduce the prices of some of the food items by 20%. How about if the store closes at 9pm, but now it’s 8:30pm, and there is still a lot of food left? Will they mark it down to 50% or to 75%, or will they just throw it out if it’s not sold?"
"So, we’re talking about avoiding food waste AND donating revenue to non-profit organizations to help those who are in need of food."
"What do you think about this? Are restaurants and other food industry businesses doing enough to help curb, food waste and to help those who are in need of food?"
NOW, LET'S SEE WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS TOPIC...
