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Food Bank Related Stories #ClearAPlate

Today, I’ve seen a couple of stories related to food banks, etc. (as a supporter of Trussell Trust) – this video, featured in the Guardian is a very clever mini-play that very cleverly challenges the thinking that ‘there’s always something that can be made from odds and ends in the cupboard’ (well, you could from mine, but that’s another topic!)

foodbanks

As one of my friends said, the trouble is that these policies are being made by people for whom £20 is a taxi fare, and not the choice between heating and eating.

The other story I’ve spotted is #ClearaPlate – which also seems to have the support of the Trussell Trust:

clearaplate

This seems to be me to be well-meaning, but rather misguided. Surely the issue is about thinking about what we put on our plates in the first place – we certainly don’t want to reinforcing the notions that were common in many of our childhoods “think of the starving children in Africa, don’t waste any of it”. Yes, seek to reduce waste, but not by forcing yourself to eat food that you don’t want. I remember someone once saying, if it’s not waste, it will be waist … and it’s definitely one of the rules that Beyond Chocolate likes to challenge – as it encourages you to be more mindful about your eating .. but not by treating yourself as a dustbin!