Banks bailout limited

Not all banks are getting bailed out. Food banks sure aren't.

This isn't all bad. I was a user of the food banks until my disability kicked in. I still sometimes use low cost restaurants who use food from the central food bank.

What I learned is that food banks are a critical necessity. But donations are down apparently. This carries some irony because at this time donations are needed more as more laid off people stream onto the unemployment rolls. Food banks become critical.

For me, food banks worked. However each user must be warned of the health risks associated with this food source. I was sick almost constantly while I devoured food from the banks. It was a tough choice. Endure hunger pains. Or, endure the ill health so common to this food source.

Why is this? First consider the sources.

Food bank food is almost always either second hand food. It is definitely not fresh by any view.

With fresh food there is a limited numbers of handlers before one purchases. The farm, sorters, packagers and retailer. This limits the access of bacteria. In the case of food bank food, the food is handled many times before it hits the plate.

Fresh food means that usually food is below the expiry or best before date. Food bank food is almost always stale, or close too it. Often the best before date is a historical entry.

Canned food from a primary store is often pristine regarding the condition of the containers. Food bank cans are almost always dented. And they are often dented severely. Denting comes from the retailer who would have written off the dented can as unsafe for his/her customers. Denting also occurs because of the excessive handling of the food stuffs.

In the extra handling, not all the hands are clean hands. Often food banks are dirty old warehouse space which was donated by some rich guy who couldn't use the space. Or they could be located in ancient church basements with questionable sanitation conditions.

Also the food bank stores don't have the right handling conditions. The food undergoes frequent changes in temperature and humidity.

Now these are the problems encountered by the food banks which receives food from the well intentioned. There are a few donations that could be called malicious.

First there is the donation from people cleaning out the fridge. Instead of parsing into the recycling system, these people who consider the food unfit for their consumption put the food into the food hampers seeing as poor people are like dogs. Dogs eat anything and don't appear to get sick from it.

Second there are the poisoners. There are people who intentionally put spoiled food into the second hand food system. I once opened a jar of apple sauce only to find a thick layer of mold. The person who donated the food must have thought this was a good joke. Poor people have great senses of humor after all.

Another category of intentional malice comes from the commercial sector. Sometimes retailers donate the food to get a better tax credit rather than sending it to the dump where they know it should have gone.

Why the silence about all this? Fear. First the food is needed. Food bank food is a necessity. The large quantity of food comes from caring Samaritans. The fear is that by complaining it will kill the system and the larger good. The reason that poor people seem to die younger and have more health problems derive from the use of food banks and the charity meal system.

But if you are heading for the food bank system, I would encourage you to think again. No matter the care taken at the food bank apparently there are lax health standards. The volunteers are not experts in food handling, at any point. You are putting your health at risk. But if you need the food, use it with your eyes open. And say thank you.

Merry Christmas...