Freeganism, America's Newest Food Diet

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http://media.www.thehilltoponline.com/media/storage/paper590/news/2007/02/20/LifeStyle/Freeganism.Americas.Newest.Food.Diet-2730393.shtml

 

Few people wonder what happens to some of the groceries categorized as “best if eaten by” after they trash countless amounts of food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that 4.4 million people are classified as hungry in the United States. But groups of healthy, middle-class social activists known as Freegans, would rather rummage through dumpsters than dine at a four-star restaurant. Freegans have given a new meaning to the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”Freegans are disgusted with the mountains of waste produced by society and have taken recycling to a whole new level. These sophisticated scavengers collect food and products from public dumpsters in efforts to eat ethically and shop environmentally-friendly.The freegan philosophy argues that capitalism and mass production exploit workers, animals and the environment. The term is derived from the words “free” and “vegan.” However, freegans claim that even the restrictive, vegan lifestyle, which prohibits the consumption and purchase of goods made from animals, is not completely free from the corruption of capitalism. Senior public relations major Messiah Ramkissoon has been a loyal vegetarian since birth and remains on the fence about the radical freegan practices. According to Ramkissoon, supporting the economy is inevitable. “I respect the fact that freegans are pro actively trying to convey a message because that’s the only way to get a movement going,” Ramkissoon said. “At the same time, they are still eating the manufactured foods and wearing clothes that someone bought from a store.” Freegans make “dumpster diving” a community affair and tour the trash bins of restaurants, grocery stores and retail stores in exploratory packs. But some do not agree with their lifestyle. “I believe freegans are making a mockery of people who are forced to do that,” senior sociology major Bethany Mitchell said. “You can go to a thrift store and get quality clothes in good condition. I would never try to go into a dumpster to get food or clothes, unless I was desperate or homeless.” Many are concerned with the health risks of consuming half eaten or forgotten groceries.Kimeera Rao, a clinical dietitian at the Howard University Hospital, said that cleanliness supersedes any political statement when it comes to food.“I guess freshness depends on whether the food is packaged and the length of time after its past-due date,” Rao said. “Since freeganists refuse to eat foods that are stored in ‘wasteful packaging,’ this practice is not hygienic no matter how hard you scrub.” Just like there are variations of vegan and vegetarian practices, meagans are freegans who limit their waste bin searches to meat and dairy products. Rao advises strongly against this form of dumpster diving. “Stores throw out meats and dairy products for a reason. People should never eat these discarded items because they tend to spoil faster than bread or certain vegetables,” she said. Even after pushing aside broken bottles, tattered clothing and rotten foods, Rao ensures that it is possible for freegans to maintain a nutritious diet.“Depending on their findings, freegans can have a healthy diet consisting of four to five servings of vegetables a day, fruits, lean meats [and] two to three servings of low-fat dairy,” Rao added. The USDA estimates that 96 billion pounds of food are wasted each year in the United States. According to America’s Second Harvest, five to 10 billion of these pounds could be recovered.Despite these unnerving statistics, not all retailers discard edible items. John Barilla, the general manager at the Safeway grocery store located on Georgia Avenue, throws away perishable items daily, but donates still-good food to charitable causes. “The wife of one of our employees works at a local church, and Safeway collects extra bread and they come pick it up,” Barilla said. “We try to predict the movement and sale of certain items so that we order just enough and reduce the amount of waste,” he added.Freshman international business major Steven Etienne deems freegan activities die hard but ineffective. “I work at the Marriott hotel restaurant and we throw tons of food away every day, so freegans are right about Americans’ unnecessary waste levels,” he said. “I think that they could better convey their message to the media and public by establishing long-term, nonprofit organizations that would collectively battle environmental issues.”In spite of capitalist critics, Adam Weissman, the creator of the freegan.info Web site, “pitied” those who have not delved into this resourceful lifestyle, according to the New York Times. “Essentially, the sky’s the limit,” he said. “I am able to take long vacations from work. I have all kinds of consumer goods and I eat a really healthy diet of really wonderful food: white asparagus and cactus fruit, three different kinds of mushrooms and four different kinds of pre-cut salad. And I’m just thinking of what is in my refrigerator right now,” he added.

 

 

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