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We ought to eat waste. Or at least, eat food that would normally get wasted. That's the message of Dive, the film.
According to Wasted Food, Americans waste over 40% of the food we produce for consumption, which works out to a cost of more than $100 billion each year. Couple that with the rising price of food, the inability for many people to get enough to eat each day, and the environmental cost of producing so much food using chemical inputs that kill the soil and poison the groundwater, and it becomes clear that our food system is far from sustainable.
The film Dive, by Jeremy Seifert, looks at the issue of dumpster diving, or 'freeganism', in America.
Around the country, American grocery stores fill their dumpsters with food. The food isn't necessarily rotten or spoiled, it's perfectly good, edible food. Jeremy Seifert and his friends practice dumpster diving in the garbage cans of supermarkets in and around L.A., rescuing some of this wasted resource, and raising awareness of the boondoggle that is America's food waste problem.
What can you do about this issue of America's wasted food? Jeremy says we should question the manager at our supermarket, learn about food waste and its role in our communities, perhaps even go for a dive in our local grocery store's dumpster, either for ourself, or for those in need.
Seifert explains:
For me, an important first step to really caring about the issue of food waste was hopping in a dumpster, bringing home the food, and eating it. Eating trash is a subversive act. It goes against a culture of over-consumption and gratuitous wastefulness. Experience that initial rush, shame, fear, and exhilaration of "stealing" trash and eating it will change you in good ways.
Second, I think it's important to go to your local grocery store and ask what they do with their food waste. They might not tell you. Or they'll dodge the question by listing organizations to which they donate. Ask them about all the FRESH food--meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables. Ask them if they would be open to allowing you to pick this food up and bring it to a nonprofit that serves the needy. Do all of this with a pleasant tone, big smile, and servant's heart.
Third, you'll need a place to bring the food, so you'll have to locate a shelter or food bank in your area that could use the food. This is where logistics comes into play. They'll need to be able to immediately use or temporarily store fresh food....shelving space, refrigerators, freezers. This step actually happens at the same time as visiting your local grocery stores. You will probably need a letter from the shelter or food bank stating their needs, requesting donations, and naming you or your family/friends/organization/church as the volunteer designated to pick up the food.
What do you think about this? Would you ever consider eating food scavenged from a dumpster?
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