Challenging corporate charity: Food commons as a response to food insecurity

cb
Thumbnail Image
Files
Date
2023-08-15
Authors
Kenny, Tara
Sage, Colin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing
Published Version
10.4337/9781800378445.00014
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Recognising that food insecurity is a structural feature that requires profound food system and public policy transformation, this paper critically examines the increasing volumes of surplus food redistributed via food charities in many rich societies. The role of corporate charitable donations is widely celebrated as a ‘win-win’ that reduces food waste and feeds hungry people. Noting the inability of such interventions to address the structural causes of food insecurity, and its propensity to maintain and support problematic ideologies, practices, and power imbalances the chapter offers an alternative perspective that argues for the need to move beyond food as commodity and appreciate its other vital attributes. Reviewing two alternative models of food redistribution – labelled ‘brokerage’ and ‘challenger’ – the chapter highlights the corporate dominance of the former while the latter offers the prospects to rethink ways out of food poverty traps. Drawing upon the notion of food as a commons, it argues that reformed public welfare provision together with diverse community initiatives grounded in principles of conviviality could offer an alternative route to addressing food insecurity.
Description
Keywords
Commons , Foodbanks , Charitable surplus , Corporate donations , Community initiatives , Conviviality
Citation
Kenny, T. and Sage, C. (2023) 'Challenging corporate charity: Food commons as a response to food insecurity', in Caraher, M., Coveney, J. and Chopra, M. (eds.) Handbook of Food Security and Society. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 48-56. doi: 10.4337/9781800378445.00014
Link to publisher’s version
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10468/15107
Collections
Public Health - Book Chapters
Geography - Book chapters
Copyright
© 2023, the authors. This is a draft chapter. The final version is available in in Caraher, M., Coveney, J. and Chopra, M. (eds.) Handbook of Food Security and Society, published in 2023, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800378445.00010. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).