Anna Angelin
Associate professor | Senior lecturer
Civilsamhällets matdistribution – en ideal lösning på fattigdom och klimatkris?
Civil society food distribution - an ideal solution to poverty and climate crisis?
Author
Summary, in English
The purpose of this article is to contextualize food distribution to better understand its significance for poor recipients, civil society organisations, and ultimately also the Swedish welfare model. The article highlights a change where
an increased need for free or cheap food for poor groups is handled by an
increased supply of food waste distributed by civil society organisations, a seemingly ideal and innovative solution to reduce poverty and the climate crisis.
However, the results show tension and a duality between apparent beneficial
effects (that food is not thrown away and that people in poverty get affordable
food) and surprisingly serious potential side effects and underlying problems.
The latter includes the transformation and risk of institutionalization of civil
society’s work, which may lead to diffusion of responsibility and a mix of institutional logic between public welfare, business, and civil society. In conclusion, a sustainability paradox takes shape, and it suggests that poverty and climate change may be two separate problems that require their separate solutions.
an increased need for free or cheap food for poor groups is handled by an
increased supply of food waste distributed by civil society organisations, a seemingly ideal and innovative solution to reduce poverty and the climate crisis.
However, the results show tension and a duality between apparent beneficial
effects (that food is not thrown away and that people in poverty get affordable
food) and surprisingly serious potential side effects and underlying problems.
The latter includes the transformation and risk of institutionalization of civil
society’s work, which may lead to diffusion of responsibility and a mix of institutional logic between public welfare, business, and civil society. In conclusion, a sustainability paradox takes shape, and it suggests that poverty and climate change may be two separate problems that require their separate solutions.
Department/s
- School of Social Work
Publishing year
2022-09-21
Language
Swedish
Pages
522-533
Publication/Series
Socialmedicinsk tidskrift
Volume
99
Issue
4
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Stiftelsen Socialmedicinsk tidskrift
Topic
- Social Work
Keywords
- Matfattigdom
- Fattigdom
- mat
- matdistribution
- matsvinn
- civilsamhället
- CSR
- hållbarhet
- klimat
- civil society
- food poverty
- food security
- gift
- charity
- charity economics
- institutional
- welfare
- sweden
- organisations
- sustainability
- "the sustainability paradox"
- combating poverty
- inclusion
- exclusion
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0037-833X