Via iStockphoto / @crystalunscripted TikTok
An Auntie Anne’s customer says she was disturbed after learning what reportedly happens to pretzels that sit unsold for 30 minutes.
Auntie Anne’s is one of the most recognizable fresh-baked pretzel chains in the world, with over 2,000 locations in over 30 countries.
The chain guarantees that customers will only ever get a warm pretzel that’s fresh out of the oven and hand-rolled by a worker just minutes before.
With that, though, comes a consequence that not many customers like to think about.
TikTok creator Crystal (@crystalunscripted) says she found out accidentally after asking for a discount on a pretzel near closing time. What an employee allegedly told her bothered her enough that she shared it with her viewers on TikTok. The clip has since racked up more than 128,400 views.
What Happens To Unsold Auntie Anne’s Pretzels?
“Guys, guess what I just learned about Auntie Anne’s, which I think is very, kind of, honestly disturbing,” Crystal begins.
According to her, she noticed the store was getting ready to close and figured she might be able to score a deal.
“I was like, ‘Hey, you’re about to close. Can I maybe get it half off?” she recalls asking a worker.
Instead, she says the workers told her there was no discount.
“They’re like, ‘No, actually, we sell it every 30 minutes. We just throw them away if no one buys them,’” Crystal says.
She then asked why the store couldn’t simply reduce the price of the older pretzels rather than toss them.
“They’re like, ‘Nope, corporate policy,’” she claims.
That answer was enough to turn her off the chain entirely.
“What a wasteful place,” Crystal concludes. “I don’t think I wanna buy pretzels from Auntie Anne’s anymore.”
Does Auntie Anne’s Really Throw Away Pretzels After 30 Minutes?
At least part of what Crystal says lines up with what Auntie Anne’s has publicly acknowledged.
Auntie Anne’s U.K. stated its stores make products from scratch throughout the day and intend to sell them within 30 minutes in order to guarantee freshness. The company also openly acknowledges the downside of that system, saying, “A consequence of this can mean we, unfortunately, produce some food waste.”
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean every pretzel that hits the 30-minute mark ends up in a trash can.
In the U.K., for example, Auntie Anne’s began working with Too Good To Go in 2018. Through the program, stores can sell products that weren’t purchased during that initial 30-minute window at a reduced price through the Too Good To Go app. Auntie Anne’s says the partnership has saved more than 46,000 meals from going to waste.
Auntie Anne’s in the U.S. says the company is “committed to fighting hunger and reducing food waste” and partners with hunger relief organizations and after-school programs. Since 2010, Auntie Anne’s says it has donated more than 16.2 million pretzel products through its partnership with Food Donation Connection.
However, the company does not explain on that page exactly how individual stores decide which unsold products get donated or how consistently locations participate.
The United States Is A Major Contributor In Global Food Waste
Judging by the comments, plenty of viewers also didn’t think Crystal had uncovered anything particularly unusual or unethical.
“makes me want one even more now… now that I know they fresh,” one person wrote.
Another argued that throwing out older prepared food is common.
“Just about every place with ready to eat hot food does that. so don’t eat,” they wrote.
That’s not exactly true for most of the world.
Recycle Track Systems estimates that Americans throw away nearly 60 million tons—or 120 billion pounds—of food every year, which it estimates is almost 40% of the U.S. food supply.
The organization attributes about 43% of that waste to households and another 40% to restaurants, grocery stores, and food service companies. Farms account for another 16%, while manufacturers account for roughly 2%.
“Anywhere that isn’t made to order if you really have a principled position like that,” another viewer wrote.
Meanwhile, one commenter offered another explanation for why stores might not simply hand out or discount food indefinitely. “They do that because they don’t want to be liable if someone were to get sick off of eating old food,” they wrote.
@crystalunscripted there’s freshness for a reason but that seems a bit too much. idk probably will boycott for now but just thought I’d share with y’all. I know there’s lots of food waste but this one seemed worst than usual. #auntieannes #mallfood
BroBible has reached out to Auntie Anne’s and Crystal via email for comment.