…this is the next logical choice, no?
London's poor could be given food from top hotels and restaurants to cut waste.
Joking aside, it seems like a great idea.
The initiative, Plan Zheroes, uses an online map to match up supermarkets, grocers, hotels or even film crews offering free food with charities who are looking for some. Fifty charities have signed up.
It does indeed seem like an ideal way to cut down on the amout of food waste we are generating:
The scheme will be launched by Lotti Henley, 86, of the London Sustainable Development Commission, at City Hall on Wednesday.
Mrs Henley, of Earl's Court, told of the starvation in Germany after the war. She said (she) was reduced to eating scraps out of bins, adding: "I'm horrified by how people waste food now."
So, I’m just waiting for the first frothing column from the ‘Guardian’ or some left-wing blog decrying it as ‘obscene’ and ‘degrading’…
An excellent idea, on the face of it .. but distant bells are ringing in the old memory that its been suggested before & rejected by the H&S Brigade ..
ReplyDeleteI worked in a branch of Tesco during my summer hols. The amount of food that was thrown out at the end of the day was horrifying. You would think the staff would be given it or allowed to buy it at a discount but no, it all went in the compactor. Why? Moral hazard. The idea was that if people knew that surplus food would be handed out they would conveniently 'forget' a rack of loaves that were meant to be put out and discover them five minutes before end of shift. So the logistics of this will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteThose feeding stations work great in Germany -- resulting in the dolies being in effect handed a lot of free money, since they no longer have to buy their grub.
ReplyDeleteBest of all, you have to prove you're a scrounger before you're eligible to scrounge(and save), it's not open to people who work (and who often have less disposable money than claimants).
Hmmm... let's see what happens when we have the first case of food poisoning from free food handouts.
ReplyDeleteWho will take the flak? Who will pay compo?
And what of the 'sensitives' that must have special food. Will the supermarkets be bullied in to feeding them as well?
ReplyDelete"...but distant bells are ringing in the old memory that its been suggested before & rejected by the H&S Brigade ..but distant bells are ringing in the old memory that its been suggested before & rejected by the H&S Brigade .."
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I've seen - and recently - a service using donated near-date sandwiches (from Pret a Manger?) to feed the homeless at a soup kitchen.
" Why? Moral hazard. "
Hmmm, I wonder if that will prove the case here, where the food is likely to be of even better quality too?
"Best of all, you have to prove you're a scrounger..."
How do they do that?
"And what of the 'sensitives' that must have special food. "
As with Teacake's 'food poisoning' it'll be interesting to see all the bases covered with this one, won't it?
It's due to launch today - I'll keep my eye out.
@Julia
ReplyDelete"
"Best of all, you have to prove you're a scrounger..."
How do they do that?
"
If you don't claim benefits, you don't get the handout of free food. The 'Tafel' (buffet) is worth hundreds of Euro a month if you take up their offer, leaving you lots of free lolly to spend on other things.
No-one on the dole in Europe needs charity, the dole(when all is totted up) is often more than what you take home if you work in an average paid job.
In effect, working people have 2 sets of bosses -- the guys who employ them, and the dole claimants who fleece them via HMRC.
Let's not encourage them with free food on top of everything else they are already getting...