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I saw this Gizmodo story today about LeftoverSwap, a new mobile app that lets people give away their leftover food to others who are hungry and broke. The idea goes something like this: If you have leftovers, post it to this app. People in the nearby area who are hungry and broke can then use the app to find leftovers in their neighborhoods and arrange for pickup or delivery.
From the LeftoverSwap website:
For leftover takers
You’re hungry. And cheap. We understand.
You also care about reducing waste, eating locally, and want to build relationships within your community. We also understand those things.
Simply fire up LeftoverSwap, view the available leftovers around you, make your selection, and arrange for pick-up or delivery. Your cheap, local, and community-oriented meal is waiting.
For leftover givers
You’re stuffed. You can’t take another bite, but there’s so much left on your plate.
You hate the idea of throwing out food, but also don’t want to be eating the same leftovers for the next few days. We understand. You want to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and fertilizer as well. We also understand that.
Snap a picture of what you can’t eat, name it, and share the rest of your meal. Your neighbors are hungry.
The whole concept just strikes me as bizarre, inane, and offensive. Aside from the obvious health concerns, there are so many things about the concept that just don’t make sense. For one thing, it’s supposed to help low-income or homeless people, yet they are exactly the people who are less likely to have a smartphone. So really, it seems to be an app more aimed at serving the conscience of the people wealthy enough to own a smartphone, eat out a lot, and never eat leftovers. And as far as that goes, needing to find a guilt-free way to dispose of your leftovers because it’d so offend your palate to eat the same thing the next day is about as first-world a problem as I can imagine.
Then there’s the whole issue of helping the needy by giving them your half-eaten food, which seems rather demeaning. If you care enough about these people to want to help them, why make them take your tablescraps? Why not give them something fresh?
LeftoverSwap.com lists the following reasons for giving your leftovers to others:
- 40% of the food we produce goes to waste.
- 25% of us don’t know our neighbors’ names.
- 70% of us are overweight.
- 16% of Americans lack enough food for a healthy lifestyle.
- 99% of us don’t need a second helping of the beef lo mein.
They’re fine reasons, but if you really want to do something about these problems, there are so many better, safer, and more effective ways than what LeftoverSwap proposes. For instance:
- 40% of the food we produce goes to waste: Then don’t waste food. Cook or order smaller portions. AND EAT YOUR OWN DAMN LEFTOVERS!!
- 25% of us don’t know our neighbors’ names: Try introducing yourself to them sometime and inviting them over to share dinner rather than to clean up after dinner. They are people, not human trashcans.
- 70% of us are overweight: Exercise and eat healthy. If you’re wealthy enough to eat out every day and throw away leftovers, you’re wealthy enough to be able to afford to do those things.
- 16% of Americans lack enough food for a healthy lifestyle: Donate fresh, uneaten food, which you can buy with the money you’d save from eating your own leftovers for a second meal rather than eating out every single day.
- 99% of us don’t need a second helping of the beef lo mein: Then don’t eat it all in one sitting. Again, save it for a second meal. Leftovers won’t kill you.
But instead of doing any of these things, LeftoverSwap presents us with a “solution” that 1) many of the people who will supposedly benefit from it might not have the equipment to access, 2) creates serious potential health hazards, and 3) demeans the people it’s supposedly helping.
Heck, even if we do want to develop a food-sharing mobile app to help address these problems, there are better app ideas than this. For instance, instead of an app to unload leftovers, how about an app that helps you find someone to split a pizza with — when the pizza first comes out of the oven, not after you’ve eaten half of it? You can pick the place, pick the dish, and set out how much you’d pay (anywhere from 50 to 100 percent of the bill). This can help address all the problems that LeftoverSwap is tackling while affording the people who take up the offer a greater measure of dignity.
The post Don’t Want to Waste Food? Start by Eating Your Own Leftovers!! appeared first on Matters of Varying Insignificance.