What happens to perishable products (particularly milk) when it hits its expiration date at a grocery store? Do they just throw it out, or do they do find a more worthwhile use for it? This article implies that some expired foods have an afterlife, but I’ve read or heard elsewhere that expired milk is simply thrown out.

Why not buy milk from grocery stores on the morning of its expiration date, and sell it to restaurants, bakeries, and hotels that use large volumes of milk? Since these institutions use large volumes, they could use their daily supply up every day, thus ensuring no spoilage issues. If you could buy expiring milk for 50% off wholesale, and sell it for 75% of normal price, the margins are obvious.

Does anyone already do this? It seems like a simple, environmentally sound business idea. Maybe the logistics costs of gathering just a few gallons at each grocery store make this unworkable. Still, it seems like a reasonable idea… anyone know if this is already done, or why it wouldn’t work?