In many parts of the country, lines for free food stretch for miles, even as millions of dollars worth of produce and milk are being destroyed because of dramatically reduced demand from schools, restaurants and hotels shuttered in the wake of coronavirus.
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The dairy industry has been particularly hit hard by the pandemic. Consumption of milk is way down because schools and restaurants are closed.
Inside Edition was there as New York State dairy farmer Patrick Grimshaw poured his entire production of milk for the day down the drain.
He's done it every day for three weeks — an estimated loss of $90,000. Grimshaw said it's not practical to stop milking the cows, which is why he keeps doing it.
Paul Allen, a Georgia vegetable farmer has also been dealing with reduced demand.
Allen said he had to destroy 4 million pounds of green beans and 5 million pounds of cabbage. A neighbor lost 10 million pounds of tomatoes. And giving the food away to those in need may not be that simple, with many charities not set up for this type of volume and widespread coordination needed to give out such massive amounts of food.
Even flowers are being thrown out.
In the Netherlands, 140 million tulips have been destroyed — the amount making up the entire season, stretching from Easter through Mother's Day.
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