Here's What Costco Allegedly Does With Leftover Food Court Items That Go Unsold

Scraping leftover spaghetti into the trash seems like a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of tons of food waste generated in the U.S. every year. According to a report by ReFED, 29% of the food produced in the United States during 2024 was surplus, and only 2.5% of that was donated, despite 48 million Americans facing food insecurity that year. For businesses selling food, like Costco, leftovers present a logistical, ethical, and legal puzzle. With the foodcourt a perpetual conveyor belt for supplying hot dogs and pizzas to hungry customers throughout the day, it's worth wondering: What happens to the food that's left over at the end of the day? While Costco provides no official statement on its leftover policy, social media discussion offers a range of first-hand accounts. Some say Costco is a dedicated donor to the likes of Feeding America, with whom Costco is officially partnered, while others claim to have witnessed large amounts of food being dumped at the end of the day.

Although there is encouraging coverage of Costco donating its unsold produce to worthy organizations, as well as finding a suitable home for leftover bakery items, very little is known about what happens to food court leftovers. On social media, employees anonymously share experiences. One employee on Reddit explains, "I have seen entire pizza pies being thrown away upon closing." Another Redditor and food pantry volunteer shares a different experience, claiming, "The local store donates all their food court leftovers to us."

Legislation has helped to keep surplus food out of the garbage, and in turn, direct companies to find better solutions that might benefit those facing food insecurity. Connecticut, California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont are five states that have now made it illegal to throw away food, so Costco locations in those areas are more incentivised to work consistently with food donation organizations like Feeding America. That said, a common justification for tossing out unsold food is that it could open the business to the liabilities of donating spoiled food and making recipients sick. While this concern is more relevant for food that has been cooked, instead of packaged food and unsold produce, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act actually protects businesses from these liabilities. 

Rather than being company policy, it could be that Costco's management of food waste ultimately comes down to the people wearing the uniform. Regarding the throwing out of whole leftover pizzas, one Redditor asserts, "This is simply the employee taking the easier route of throwing the pizza [versus] taking the time to transport it to a cooler." If you'd like to make sure your nearest Costco uses its leftovers for good, the best approach is to contact your local store to find out about how the location manages food waste and, possibly, direct them to locally operating food donation centers, food banks, or charities.