Description
Book SynopsisThis book provides an in-depth analysis of different dimensions of contemporary food charity. It does so against the background of an increasing number of food banks and other forms of food philanthropy. The book examines the incongruity of considering food donation as an expression of 'pure altruism'. Taking into account the dignity and rights of people, it addresses how hunger is seen and explained in rich countries and how philanthropy and democracy coexist. It looks at the relationship that exists between religious traditions and the current food donation narrative. It discusses the risks of stigmatizing food recipients, and clarifies ways to better deal with food poverty and food waste. Paradoxically, food insecurity and food waste have grown exponentially in the last decade. More and more people are not able to access food properly. The amount of perfectly edible food that is discarded also grows. The consolidation of democracies, welfare policies, and economic growth do not guarantee that all citizens can meet their basic needs in the so-called rich countries. This book analyses the current state of affairs and presents facts and reflections from diverse sources and from a cross-disciplinary perspective.
Table of Contents1. Old and New Dilemmas around Charitable food. Promoting reflection on (some) policies and practices.- 2. When opulence can no longer hide hunger: International politics, welfare policies and the need to take action.- 3. Ethical debates on global hunger: moral obligations to the distant other and global justice.- 4. Food sharing and altruism: reconstructing the behavioural evolution.- 5. The right to food and the essential promotion of personal autonomy: the ‘how’ matters.- 6. Food sharing in religious and indigenous traditions: Drawing inspirations for contemporary food ethics and politics.- 7. Criminalising the poverty: stigma of the social inequalities within the constitutional framework of the workfare state of the Union.- 8. Other ways of eating in spain: Food itineraries in a context of increasing precarization.- 9. Clash between some kinds of charitable food and the human right to food.- 10. The Corporatization of Food Charity in Canada: Implications for Domestic Hunger, Poverty Reduction and Public Policy.
