Alex V. Barnard
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780816698110
- eISBN:
- 9781452954295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816698110.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This book explores how 40% of America’s food supply is thrown out—uneaten—through the lens of one group of activists, “freegans,” in New York City dedicated to recovering, redistributing, and reusing ...
More
This book explores how 40% of America’s food supply is thrown out—uneaten—through the lens of one group of activists, “freegans,” in New York City dedicated to recovering, redistributing, and reusing this wasted wealth. Through the eyes of freegans, we see the hidden underbelly of our food system, the limits of “ethical consumption,” and the disturbingly central place of waste in contemporary capitalism. This book is the only full-length treatment of freeganism, a movement that has inspired hundreds of reports in dozens of countries in the last decade. Although other scholars have analyzed food waste, this is the first to do so through the eyes of anti-food waste activists themselves, which presents a uniquely critical perspective into the underlying logic behind it. Finally, it is the first book to use waste to highlight the limits of ethical consumerism—like buying organic, fair-trade, or vegan—by showing that markets do not seamlessly translate preferences expressed at the cash register into changes in production.Less
This book explores how 40% of America’s food supply is thrown out—uneaten—through the lens of one group of activists, “freegans,” in New York City dedicated to recovering, redistributing, and reusing this wasted wealth. Through the eyes of freegans, we see the hidden underbelly of our food system, the limits of “ethical consumption,” and the disturbingly central place of waste in contemporary capitalism. This book is the only full-length treatment of freeganism, a movement that has inspired hundreds of reports in dozens of countries in the last decade. Although other scholars have analyzed food waste, this is the first to do so through the eyes of anti-food waste activists themselves, which presents a uniquely critical perspective into the underlying logic behind it. Finally, it is the first book to use waste to highlight the limits of ethical consumerism—like buying organic, fair-trade, or vegan—by showing that markets do not seamlessly translate preferences expressed at the cash register into changes in production.
Alex V. Barnard
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780816698110
- eISBN:
- 9781452954295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816698110.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
The chapter begins by following a tomato from the fields of Mexico to the curb of New York City. Consumers are increasingly aware of the exploitation of land and labor that goes into bringing ...
More
The chapter begins by following a tomato from the fields of Mexico to the curb of New York City. Consumers are increasingly aware of the exploitation of land and labor that goes into bringing commodities to the store, but what happens afterward? The hidden waste of our food system offers an introduction to a hidden world built on retrieving that waste—that of freegans.Less
The chapter begins by following a tomato from the fields of Mexico to the curb of New York City. Consumers are increasingly aware of the exploitation of land and labor that goes into bringing commodities to the store, but what happens afterward? The hidden waste of our food system offers an introduction to a hidden world built on retrieving that waste—that of freegans.
Alex V. Barnard
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780816698110
- eISBN:
- 9781452954295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816698110.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
Chapter 1 charts the origins of freeganism in anarchist movements committed to “dropping out” of capitalism by living off its waste. It shows how the rise of movements with a political program of ...
More
Chapter 1 charts the origins of freeganism in anarchist movements committed to “dropping out” of capitalism by living off its waste. It shows how the rise of movements with a political program of “prefiguring” a post-capitalist world has been facilitated by the increasing waste produced by neo-liberal capitalism itself.Less
Chapter 1 charts the origins of freeganism in anarchist movements committed to “dropping out” of capitalism by living off its waste. It shows how the rise of movements with a political program of “prefiguring” a post-capitalist world has been facilitated by the increasing waste produced by neo-liberal capitalism itself.
