Read that most bakeries throw out 20% of their daily bread

Diana Martinez · 2026-03-16T19:35:03.825028+00:00

Found this stat in a food waste report from a university study. That's a huge amount of product just going in the trash. How do you guys handle day-old goods to cut down on this?

jordan_hill6mo ago

My buddy used to work at a French bakery. They had a rule, nothing got tossed. Day-old croissants got turned into bread pudding for the cafe. Stale baguettes became croutons. Even the ugly pastries went to a shelter pickup at closing. They just built it into the daily routine.

6

phoenix_grant6mo ago

Actually, that's the unsold inventory.

5

jake7476mo ago

Yeah, that's a crazy number. The place by me sells day-old loaves for half price in a separate rack. They also have a deal with a local farm for animal feed, which seems smart.

5

gracethomas5mo ago

So @phoenix_grant just had to come in and burst the bakery's happy little bubble, huh?

2