in thinking that eating food from supermarket skips is actually perfectly sane

[stripeymama]

and the insanity lies with supermarkets that throw away £18 billion worth of food every year??

I have been told that I am crazy for eating (and feeding dd) food that has been found on skips. And that its dangerous and could make us ill.

Well, it hasn't yet. We happily eat fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, cakes, and biscuits from skips. Whole bags full of organic brocolli. Asparagus, mangos, peppers, baby corn, chocolate cheesecakes, fresh orange and passion fruit smoothies. On one memorable occasion, three binliners full of assorted cans of beer!

I avoid most animal products (we are vegetarian anyway) but when we still had a dog, he often got organic mince cooked for him, or fish and chicken breasts. We once found a tray of 24 cans of pedigree chum, thrown out because one can had leaked onto the others.

So I don't think there is anything wrong with freeganism, in fact I think there is a lot right with it, so to my exSIL who thinks I am negligent and likely to poison dd.

Oy, Greeny, I need someone who can articulately rant against the capitalist bourgeoisie on another thread. can I hire you?

having had the misfortune to work for a supermarket for a 18m some years ago. I have to agree with those in support of bin raiding - it really is obscene the amount of perfectly good food we 'had' too throw away - I would happily eat a meal prepared from skip derived ingredients (providing it was veggie). The store I worked for (Lidls) I would be chucking crates of fresh veg away and loads of other perfectly fine food. It was a part of daily duties.

Fortunately for us for a while we had a slightly dodgy boss who let all the staff raid the aisles most nights and take way carrier bags of stuff that we knew would be heading for the bins otherwise (he was ahem - 'removed' from the store in the end).

I now live in a small town and I think the thought of being seen going through the bins does put me of - but I am still tempted - I buy most clothes for my children second hand and all their toys - xmas presents are all from car boot sales this year.

I cannot understand objections too freeganism - it is a very sensible philosophy and harms no one - but is very environmentally sound - what is not too love?

I am a bit at the reaction of some poster to this. Why shouldn't people take food that is not wanted and thrown away? They are doing us all a favour by stopping our diminishing landfill resources. And as for freeloaders! Does that also go for people who pick wild blackberries and mushrooms? Waste is the crime, not 'freeloading'!

nail on the head orm..

My neice used to work par time at a large restuarant/cafe.

At the end of the day, all food not used was thrown away, and the staff weren't allowed to touch it.

This would include huge amounts of sandwiches, muffins, whole cakes etc. It was a shocking waste. Some companies donate this to the Salvation Army etc

The company I work for has started to give rejected fruit juice deliveries to charity. Nowt wrong with them but rejected by the supermarkets because the driver missed the delivery slot or there was something wrong with the paperwork, or even stuff that was no good because the packaging had been changed. Should have been doing it years ago.

stripeymama -good for you, v resourceful. im too squeamish but yes the volume if waste is obscene

bogging

where are these skips?I have never seen one I have 'rescued' many things from skips over the years and used them in housing developments-baths mirrors furniture all sorts Maybe its time to start eating from them too

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Not keen then leisel??

eating out a skip? I'll leave it thanks

even if you had a napkin, cutlery and access to Selfridges Food hall skip

Message withdrawn

"just been looking at the freegan website after reading this thread. advocates squatting, being unemployed,hitchhiking everwhere, and getting all your stuff from other peoples rubbish.

isn't that just being a tramp?" Quote themmj

Yes, or in my youth , a hippy

This is a fascinating thread. I wish I had the nerve to do it but am too conformist. When I was a student, we used to deliberately shop late on Saturday when loads of food on its sell-by date was reduced (no Sunday opening then). Wish I'd known about the skips then.

Some years ago my sister's then boyfriend had a job than included emptying the skips at IKEA and they virtually furnished their whole flat with seconds that had been rejected.

I think it's great, but I've not had the guts to do it myself...yet! I read that Observer artcile when it came out and thought what a great idea. The amount of perfectly good food that gets chucked out by the supermarkets is appalling. Plus, there's so much damn packaging on everything (why does a head of brocolli need to be cling-wrapped?) that the chances of contamination are slim, slim, slim.

Absolutely agree with Greeny and the rest who say that we are indoctrinated re: sell-by dtaes and this idea that something-for-nothing is inherently Bad. Bollocks to that - get diving!