People warned not to eat food taken from dumpsters at SE Austin H-E-B

People who took food from dumpsters at an H-E-B in Southeast Austin are being warned not to eat it.

It happened at the grocery store located at East William Cannon and I-35.

Travis County Constable Pct.4 George Morales III says over 200 people Thursday were fighting for the food after someone posted "Free Food!"

But that food is not free -- it's garbage. And even though it might look OK, it's not safe to eat.

H-E-B said in a statement that power went out at the store and they couldn't keep food at the proper temperatures so had to dispose of it. That's also why it couldn't be donated to a food bank.

Full statement:

Due to a sustained power outage, the store was unable to keep certain perishable foods at proper temperatures. To adhere to strict food quality and safety standards, we are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled, which also prevents us from donating the items to food pantries and food banks. H-E-B is a large donor to Texas food banks and donates more than 34 million pounds of food each year to support Texans in need.

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