Food Bank Nations

by Graham Riches

In the world’s most affluent and food secure societies, why is it now publicly acceptable to feed donated surplus food, dependent on corporate food waste, to millions of hungry people? While recognizing the moral imperative to feed hungry people, this book challenges the effectiveness, sustainability and moral legitimacy of globally entrenched corporate food banking as the primary response to rich world food poverty. It investigates the prevalence and causes of domestic hunger and food waste in OECD member states, the origins and thirty-year rise of US style charitable food banking, and its institutionalization and corporatization. It unmasks the hidden functions of transnational corporate food banking which construct domestic hunger as a matter for charity thereby allowing indifferent and austerity-minded governments to ignore increasing poverty and food insecurity and their moral, legal and political obligations, under international law, to realize the right to food. The book’s unifying theme is understanding the food bank nation as a powerful metaphor for the deep hole at the centre of neoliberalism, the de-politicization of hunger; the abandonment of social rights; the stigma of begging and loss of human dignity; broken social safety nets; the dysfunctional food system; the shift from income security to charitable food relief; and public policy neglect. It exposes the hazards of corporate food philanthropy and the moral vacuum within negligent governments and their lack of public accountability. The advocacy of civil society with a right to food bite is urgently needed to gather political will and advance ‘joined-up’ policies and courses of action to ensure food security for all.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2018

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been pioneering food banking in Japan since January 2000. I found the book very compelling and insightful. I disagree with the author’s position on the role of the government, but that is more informed by my experience with government in Japan.

Not all OECD food banks follow the US model. Second Harvest Japan joined GFN in 2006 and attended the first FBLI in 2007. By 2013 we left GFN.

Lastly, more attention could have been on how food banks are not solution to food loss/waste, despite what they promote on their websites.