A Wasteful Society

Roseanna Singletary
Enc 1102- Warren
March 19, 2013
A Wasteful Society
While many people die of hunger all over the world, there is so much food being wasted.
Many grocery stores and supermarkets throw away edible food that can be donated to the poor.
The film Dive by John Seifert illustrates a case of shocking statistics. According to the movie,
hunger results from the lack of a proper system to enhance food circulation. The movie uses a
synopsis of dumpster diving activist who pass through several grocery stores in the Los Angeles
area to demonstrate the massive amounts of food wasted. The producer Seifert confronts store
managers in an attempt to encourage them to donate some of the food to local food banks to feed
the homeless or the poor in the community.
The managers and owners of food stores should donate some of the food being thrown
away. Throwing away food that can be used to help less fortunate people feed their families
could save someone from going to bed hungry. Donating this food to the local food bank,
churches, or charitable organizations is not only an act of being responsible, but also morally
right. Consequently, many studies have demonstrated that hunger is the main reason for death of
many people. Many poor Americans are impoverished due to the lack of employment
opportunities. Many of them cannot get food as a basic commodity that is essential to their
livelihood. At the same time edible food is being thrown into dumpsters by food stores. Instead
of throwing away food, the food should be donated and distributed to food banks ( Kessler 124).
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While studies show that hunger results from high levels of poverty. The same studies
demonstrated that there is more food than people. The problem lies with the even distribution of
the food. If the food that is being thrown away was being channeled into food banks, this would
increase food security, hence alleviating hunger in the community. It is not only unreasonable,
but also unethical to throw food away when there are so many people faced with hunger in our
society. The government should prioritize coming up with a strategy to enhance food distribution
among the communities. This can be achieved by donating and the distribution of excess food
supplies instead of throwing away useable food. In addition, donation of excess food represents
an act of social responsibility to the society as compared to throwing food away which is
immoral (Collins 56).
One of the long standing arguments against food donation is the legal liabilities as a
result of consuming the food. Many food manufacturing companies have faced legal liabilities
after donating food to impoverished people. Although most of them think food donation is an act
of faith, the dangers prior to the consumption of the food are referred to the store managers. Food
store managers should consider donating surplus food in their stores to food banks. Effective
legislation has been implemented to solve any disputes arising from food donations. In this
regard, the federal government has implemented The Good Samaritan Act that protects any
persons from liability of such donations.
Some business managers may argue that food donations may lead to many unnecessary
ethical questions.
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While some may argue that possible food fraud can occur, and lead to the food ending up in the
wrong hands. In order to end this trend, the management should employ personnel who will
reduce chances of fraud occurring in donation centers and the food will reach hunger stricken
individuals. Some may say it is better to dump the food because there could be psychological
issues that may prevent poor people from collecting the food. To resolve this, government and
stakeholders should make people aware that donation is an effective way of food distribution that
will help alleviate hunger in society (Bisati 67).
To conclude, donation of food to end hunger continues to be a relevant controversial
issue today. Managers of food stores and distributors should donate their food to hunger stricken
communities and food banks in order to alleviate hunger from the society. No matter how the
issue of food donation is handled, it should be understood that The Good Samaritan Donation
Act protects from legal liability occurring as a result of such donations. It is not only a
convenient choice to donate food, but also a moral choice.
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Work Cited
Bisati, Muhammad, and Denys Johnson-Davies. Hunger, Cairo: American University in Cairo
Press, 2008. Print
Collins, Suzanne. The hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Internet Source.
Kessler, J.M. (2012) Hunger. Boston: Graphia.