i have a buddy that'll eat a half eaten donut or hot dog out of the city trash while out and about. he gets sick every so often but accepts diarrhea as completely normal, like less affluent areas of the world.

i probably wouldn't trust food, just because *how* food is stored is just as important as any seals/expiration dates/containers. but, like my buddy, some people either accept the risks, or are blissfully ignorant. one of the greatest moments in my youth was my buddies and i finding a full 24 pack of bud light behind a dumpster -- sure it was room temperature, and a little skunky, but it did the trick for us 13 year olds!

grocers do throw out a ton of food, though it's all about liability and contracts.

The key is finding the right spots. Normal trash cans aren't exactly the spot you want to go digging for, but supermarket dumps can be gold-mines.

I used to regularly. Would drive around with my dad. And look for curbside stuff an jump in dumpsters behind stores. If we were asked to leave we would. Be careful of rust and chemicals. I wouldn't jump in without boots, pants and work gloves though.

I've also done it for food. Mu dad was disabled and had fixed income so we would hit up the grocery stores for breads and still frozen foods. We would inspect on the spot and then once more at home. Never got sick or went hungry.