supermarkets throw away massive loads of perfectly good food everyday, simply due to overbuying and the resultant lack of space. this is food that can and should be used.
bin diving involves retrieving the usable food from the trash bins used by supermarkets for this purpose. a lot of supermarkets frown on this, because a) they don't want to be liable for sicknesses and injury and b) they aren't making any money from this.
i have done this both in groups and on my own. i have a few pointers about being CAREFUL and SAFE:
1) know the laws; they can differ from area to area. food (and trash in general) in city-provided bins is considered public property in many places but not in others. also, if the bin itself is on private property, such as deep in a lot instead of an alley, it can be considered trespassing. some bins are served by private companies as well, so different rules may apply.
2) don't run out there blind; do some location scouting and research first. questions to ask: are the foods put into individual sacks (best) or just thrown all together? are there guards/cameras, and do they care? when do they put it out (best to get 'freshly' dumped food)?
3) check that 'expiration' or 'sell by' date, but you don't have to be paranoid about it. in truth, they give a worst case date because they don't want food spoiling in the stores and being liable for it. different foods have different lengths of leniency; you can typically eat many foods up to a week or so after the date. just do a spot and smell check. to be extra safe, it is fine to collect only foods within the dates and non-perishables.
4) i recommend going in small groups of 2 or 3; enough to provide some safety, not so much that it will draw attention.
i know that this is not the best solution; the root of the problem being our overconsumption. however, teaching bin diving to someone will definitely ensure their food security for quite a while.
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