Supermarkets throw away a surprising quantity of food that is still fit to eat. Much of it fails on appearance rather than quality: fruit that is the wrong shape or size is rejected before it reaches the shelves, because buyers assume customers will not pick it up. Stores also order more than they expect to sell, since an empty shelf loses a sale while a full one only risks waste at the end of the day. The waste, in other words, follows from ordinary commercial caution rather than carelessness.