Food DUMPED when NOT SoLD!

Food DUMPED when NOT SoLD!

by Debbie Papadakis 

Athens -31st Dec 2013. 

Who would have thought that Humanity, would advance to the level of boasting about progress in technology and with added insight of living life, without for a moment assessing the values we should live by, in creating a Humane society living with deeds that would honour our 'greatness' ? Who would have believed that Euopean Governements would have thought of protecting monopoly interests, in expense of NOT allowing humane societies to flourish ? Who would have expected that in such a crisis we are experiencing in this economic war of austerity people would be deprived of the simpliest needs that would encourage their well being and woulld urge them to work for a better future? One thing can be said is that Hunger leads to 'Crime or Revolution'. Political Curruption leads to extremities. 

The absence of justice leads to the breakdown of social institutions, the dismantlement of education and stagnation of eco development with eco policies in eco friendly societies. Food for thought, I must say! As I was making my way home from work this evening, I bought some last minute groceries from the supermaket in the area, considering it was New Year's Eve. Things have been tough for many single parent families and I felt some gratitude that I had some work and was able to provide for my family. As I was loading my bicycle and about to leave; a sight that brought tears to my eyes clouded my thoughts. I saw a store attendant cart a way a trolley full of bread and throw it away in a rubbish cushing dispasal unit located at the main enterance of the parking lot. I could not stop myself from asking the employee why they threw so much bread away that was not sold that afternoon. Where in fact they could have donated it to 20 families that would have needed it that same day. She responded: "When I first started doing this it brought tears to my eyes...but I am just an employee here. I am just doing my job..." Jobs are rare I thought and I nodded in response to her answer then added: " Wouldn't it be better if this food was donated to the soup kitchens operating in our city for those less fortunate in this crisis?" She agreed. At that moment, I looked at that big Garbage disposal Unit and rode off. Garbage Containers are becoming stonger and have the abity to crush waste into compact units. What a waste? What a waste of food? Is this common practise in other countries? 

Having come home, I immediately got on the web and entered a site:" Europeans sanding by Greece". I punched out my first thought of 'the waste of food' hoping that other people would respond to my question: WHY DO SUPERMARKETS THROW AWAY THE BREAD THEY DO NOT SELL. MANY FAMILIES GO HUNGRY AND I AM SURE THAT CHARITIES WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF IT WERE DONATED TO THEIR SOUP KITCHENS FOR THE HOMELESS AND UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE WITH FAMILIES TO FEED. DESTROYING FOOD THAT IS NOT SOLD IS NOT A SOLUTION IN A CRISIS WHY DO THEY DO IT? The repose was amazing. Apparently, in the UK it is common practise to throw away unsold food to further 'perish' in dust cans ,where poor people had access to it , rather than give it away and risk of having someone suffer from 'forms of food poisoning or alergy caused by consuming contaminated food'. A 'shoddy' solution made by supermaket management, it was dubbed at the forum discussion on the site: "Europeans standing by Greece" In the USA, more positive measures were taken by supermarket owners who cashed on preserving the fod and selling it at 1/4 of the retail price allowing for people to buy food they could afford, rather than having them starve and seek other measures to surving on their economic means...thus, maintaining dignity. In Spain Municipalities resorted to the measures of implimenting fines between 500-700euros for any groups of people trying to collect food from supermaket dumping sites...that would not help solve the problem waste nor hunger! In Greece,we have "Support Eachother" in the crisis campaignes where people buy hampers of food and leave it in a stall for it to be collected by church organisations and charity organisations that have set up soup kitchens and Municipality grocery stores for the unemployed to buy food cheaply. That is not enough. considering food is wasted. 

NO FOOD SHOULD BE WASTED.

It should be managed and donated to organsation if not it should be sold at a discount that would assure distribution and ease hunger in hard times. People should voice their opinions to this and Supermarkets can join the drive to 'getting themslves popularity' by contributing to social friendly food management. Should food be thrown away-wasted or dumped or should we strive for food management in this crisis? Lets hope that 2014 sees logic prevail against past practises!