We try not to have too much of it! Non-perishable produce is packed away in our storage room. Perishable food that will keep well under refrigeration is stored in the co-op’s commercial sized refrigerator.
Perishable produce that will not keep is usually handed out to the volunteers who are helping with the clean-up and pack-up at the end of the day, or donated to a family in need or a worthy cause. We have a couple of local charitable organisations who will collect or we drop off to if there is a larger amount of produce left. We donate on a regular basis and are pleased that our surplus is never wasted and goes to families in need.
If there is still perishable produce that no one can use, then chooks get the goodies or it is composted. We have members who are sustainability educators or belong to community gardens and they welcome “the scraps”!