Jochen Brühl, the head of the German food banks organization Die Tafel, has recently published a book called “Full bin, empty plates”. The book is a collection of 17 interviews Brühl has conducted. Brühl has talked to a great variety of people, among them the founder of the German food banks, a manager of a major corporation, an anchor, a well-known actor and a priest. The forword was written by a former editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Heribert Prantl. Echoing an earlier article of his, Prantl writes: „It would be a catastrophe if the food banks disappeared. But it’s also a catastrophe that we need them. A state that relies on a 1000 food banks is not a functioning social welfare state.” (S.9)
The food banks alleviate the worst aspects of poverty but their existence further entrenches a divided society. This becomes obvious when Brühl talks about the future of children whose parents go to a food bank. He comments, „Every fifth child in Germany is living permanently in poverty-stricken circumstances, often from a deprived background with little hope for improvement in the future – but there’s no public outcry.“ (S.220)
While the food banks succeed in alleviating the worst aspects of poverty, the resulting „invisibility“ of poverty means that large parts of the population are not aware of the constantly increasing problem. Figures of a growing economy and a low unemployment rate further distort the picture many Germans have of their society. Ulrich Schneider describes the relation between the economic figures and reality as follows: „How does a statistician describe a person whose head is in the fridge and whose feet are in the oven? On average warm. Behind these [good economic ] figures lies a deep divide in our society. We have the biggest low income sector we have ever had in this country and 16% of all citizens need financial assistance of some sort– the highest number since reunification. An ever increasing number of people are employed full-time and still can’t make ends meet. They go to food banks and have to rely on social welfare payments like financial assistance for the rent. That’s the reality behind the generally good economic figures. That is the reality we are dealing with in Germany. On average warm.“ (S.115)
Brühl’s interview partners vary not only in their backgrounds but also in their views. Some seem to regard food banks as a modern incarnation of an age old phenomenon. Beatrice Morena comments „On the other hand you’re doing something that has always been done. Even during the Middle Ages people were feeding the poor, in other cultures as well.“ If something has existed since the beginning of time maybe there is no need, or no point, in trying to improve the situation. Other interviewees, however, think that change is more than necessary. Gerhard Trabert, who founded a free medical service for people who are homeless and/or without health insurance vows: „We want to get rid of ourselves! That is our aim. So far, however, our work – much like that of the foods banks – is part of this unjust system. We provide a service that should be provided by the state and thus stop people noticing the holes in the system. That is why we need to say again and again that it isn’t right that we have to exist at all.” (S.188) Trabert also voices criticism in regard to the NAK (the National Poverty Conference, an alliance of nationwide operating charities) and the churches. The latter in particular, Trabert thinks, should be more vocal in their criticism of the rising inequality within our society. He believes that the churches don’t voice strong criticism of the state and its policies, because they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them. Many charities and the churches get considerable funding from the state.
Tellingly, Brühl himself bypasses such criticism by redefining the reason for the existence of food banks. He claims: „The food banks weren’t founded to fight poverty. Fighting poverty was a side effect of our work. The main reason for our work is to stop wasting products and resources.“ (S. 113) By redefining their reason for being, Brühl avoids having to comment on the role of the government in the steep increase in poverty during the last 15 years. He also opts out of having to deal with any criticism of the food banks, e.g. that they indirectly assist the spreading of poverty. Since the food banks have been strongly criticized from various sides while actually providing a valuable service, Brühl’s move may be understandable. But it’s still a misrepresentation and shifts attention from the very real problem of constantly growing poverty to the much more popular topic of food waste. Food waste and environmentally friendly consumerism, however, is more of a problem for the better off. Brühl himself would agree as can be seen from his spontaneous reaction to a comment the actor Hannes Jaenicke makes: „If a consumer regards his wallet as a weapon and realizes that every receipt is a vote, than he can be quite effective.“ [...] „If they can afford it, I think to myself, and see many of our food bank customers in front of my inner eye.“ (S.220)
During the interview with politician Barbara Hendricks the Achille’s heel of the food banks is touched upon. (S.166) Since they rely on donations, the quantity as well as the quality of the products they distribute depend to a large degree on the state of the local economy. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, for instance, a disproportionally high number of the population have to use a food bank and the local donations aren’t sufficient. So the local food banks have to collect their products from neighbouring Länder and have to go as far as North Rhine Westphalia to get what they need.
One of the seventeen interviews of Full bin, empty plates is with a food bank customer. Henriette Egler has made a name for herself by posting recipes of dishes made from ingredients from a food bank. Egler seems unusual, because she is very open about being a food bank customer. Egler’s following comment, however, shows she suspects food bank customers are viewed negatively. „The food banks per se are regarded as a good thing, but many people have a negative image in their head when it comes to food bank users. Then they immediately think of a low life, someone who has lost the grip on his/her life.“ (S.87)
In his book „Schamland“ Stefan Selke describes the negative self image that many food bank customers have. He showed that they often feel deeply ashamed of having to go to a food bank. Interestingly, they aren’t the only ones experiencing feelings of shame. According to Brühl similar feelings can hit volunteers too. „It does exist, the feelings of shame of those who come to us, but after a while those who help can also experience a certain kind of shame. Because they become more aware of the fact that they can return to a more privileged kind of life after their voluntary work – and that this isn’t always the result of their own doing.“ (S.193) The food banks can appear like a perfect solution for both poverty and food waste. But if they were, why are all the people, who are involved, prone to feelings of shame?
Ultimately, every discussion about food banks leads to basic questions about our society: What are our guiding principles? The constant growth of the economy? The well being of the greatest number of people? Safeguarding the environment? Ulrich Schneider says: „This is about dignity, backbone and moral principles. We need to re-discover our inner compass. Because we have handed that to the economists. But we need this moral compass. It’ll show us the direction in which we need to go.” (S.12)
Jochen Brühl's book is only available in German. The quotes were translated by me.
European Food banks Federation FEBA