phenomena
JUNK FOOD
What happens when anger toward wasted food is coupled with ever increasing grocery bills and a desire for change?
Amongst other things, 2008 will be remembered as the year that food became a reason to fight. At the time of writing there have been riots in thirteen countries due to the increasing cost of food. In Haiti, the prime minister was removed due to the problem. Disruptive weather patterns, an increasing population and land turned over to make bio-fuel for cars have all played their parts in the strain on global food production. Meanwhile in many developed countries, a different battle is being fought. Obesity of entire nations and warehouses full of food locked due to government bureaucracy has caused anger and resentment on top of billion dollar health issues. It is estimated that in the UK alone, over ÂŁ9billion of consumable food is discarded every year. The issue of food has never been more of a political hot-potato. A glimmer of a solution has emerged in the face of these arguments. That reaction takes the shape of a group of trashcan raiding bandits, who congregate under the media-friendly moniker: the Freegans. Freegan-ism is a way of living that challenges western ideas of food consumption, wastage and legal requirements that demand that food, at its prescribed sell-by date must be disposed of immediately, despite still being edible and nutritious. Carefully picking apart the dustbins of food retailers, the Freegans rescue produce that can no longer be legally sold and use it to compliment their weekly
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Inspire magazine