We have a Facebook group for the neighbors, and one neighbor posted yesterday: “I got too much bread from food sharing. Does anyone want some?” He also posted a photo of so much bread that a family of four could eat for three days! Since he lived by himself, I guess his freezer wouldn’t be big enough to freeze all that excess bread.
It is a good act on his part to ask people around if they want some bread to prevent it from being wasted.
In Europe, there is a food-sharing app called “Too Good to Go”, where you can buy food from various cafes and bakeries at a very low price and pick it up at the end of the day. The prices are low, and the portions are typically large because otherwise, the food would end up in the trash bin. I have never used it myself because it always reminds me of a scene from a TV show I watched when I was four years old:
A boy was walking with his mother when he saw a toy in a store they passed by. He immediately liked the toy and asked his mother to buy it for him. His mother told him that they were poor and could not afford such a toy. The boy cried and insisted on having the toy. His mother, looking around and thinking no one was watching, stole the toy. However, as they were leaving, the store owner caught them and called the police. The mother was arrested, and she and her son were separated.
Why does food sharing remind me of this TV story? Because some kids from humble families might want to eat something, but their families cannot afford to buy it for them. However, it just so happens that food sharing offers the food that these kids wish for!
When I saw the concept of food sharing, I completely agreed with it. Saving is a virtue, and not wasting is saving. I read from some internet posts that people who lived alone and had good incomes still chose to buy food from “Too good to go”, and it turned out that the food was wasted. People who were really in need of food at a cheap price could not get it.
Who are the people that are really in need of food at a cheap price? People with low incomes but big families to raise, people with physical or mental impairments who cannot earn enough money, and kids whose wishes can be easily fulfilled by food sharing.
Because people who can afford the food at the original price and who do not need that much food also buy from “Too good to go”, people whose lives can indeed be enhanced by food sharing cannot get it easily.
Think about it. When you live alone and do not need a lot of bread, wouldn’t it be nicer to leave the chance to people who really need it? Probably a kid will be so happy to see his mother bringing home his favorite cake, and his mother will be so happy to see her kid’s smile while not spending a “fortune” on it.
Saving is a virtue, and wasting is a sin. Wasting doesn’t only mean throwing away food or things that can still be used. It also means occupying resources that could much better serve your fellow humans.
A former friend of mine had a pretty good income (in the top 0.1% of the country), and he complained once that the bread he got from “Too good to go” was not to his liking. He was constantly on business trips and seldom at home. He could afford any food he wanted but still chose to “compete” with people who really needed food sharing. He also had other habits that I found quite unpleasant. So in the end, I chose not to be friends with him.
However, he was not an isolated case. People like him are everywhere. They consume excessive resources and waste them without feeling guilty, while their fellow humans are starving. What you throw away today could be a lifelong wish for another.
Some people might ask, but isn’t food sharing similar to discount supermarkets, which most people like?
No, they are different. Discount supermarkets have more items in stock for the masses, while food sharing consists of what is left over. In a discount supermarket, you can choose how much you want to buy, but with food sharing, they typically bundle whatever is left into a package. If you cannot consume it all, it goes to waste.
I have a few suggestions for food sharing apps and their users:
For food sharing apps:
- Request users to input the number of people in their households.
- Ask for an estimate of users’ incomes.
- Encourage providers (cafes, bakeries) to offer food sharing in various portion sizes, if possible.
- Prioritize reservations for people with lower incomes and larger families.
For food sharing users:
- Order food sharing only when it’s truly needed.
- Share excessive food with those around you.
- Avoid wasting food.
- If you can afford to buy food at its original price, consider leaving the chance for food sharing to those in need.
Do you have any experience with food sharing? What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!
