Canarian Weekly
23-11-2012, 13:30
TENERIFE residents have been shocked to find out that food sent to the archipelago from Spanish and other European authorities to relieve hunger has been found discarded in dumpsters.
According to a group that advocates for the rights of the homeless inSpain, boxes full of cheese, flour, soup and juice from the European Union andSpainwere found in a rubbish heap in a neighbourhood ofSanta Cruz. This food was intended for the needy and had been provided to groups such as the Red Cross and food banks, for distribution.
Eloy Cuadra of the Platform for the Dignity of the Homeless said in a statement that the waste is “unforgivable.” Cuadra said that the management of food distribution is evidently “out of control.”
Cuadra explained that his group had received a tip that in the García Escámez neighbourhood, a non-profit association had thrown away a significant amount of food. Found in the rubbish were boxes of cheese with 2013 expiration dates, along with flour that had expired in October 2012. Also found were boxes of fruit juice and soup. The food containers bore identifying labels of the EU and the Spanish government.
“Neither the municipal laws nor national regulations are being followed,” said Cuadra, who added that local police were made aware of the waste and have made a report. Among the reasons for discarding the food is the possibility that the food banks and other philanthropic organisations involved do not have adequate refrigeration.
The spokesman for Dignity said, “This is not a reason to cast blame on neighbourhood associations and others who don’t have refrigeration or adequate training to make proper distribution, but instead that the government should have a leading role in the matter.”
He noted that the distribution of food should not be left entirely in the hands of non-profit organisations. However, Hernán Cerón of the Tenerife Food Bank – which has been partially blamed for food waste – claims that every one of the 127 organisations in food distribution do indeed have adequate resources for food storage. According to the Spanish media, they have said that these institutions do not have refrigeration since they are only given non-perishable food. It is soup kitchens, said Cerón, which use and distribute perishable food. Cerón believes that the waste discovered by Dignity is an isolated case.
For its part, the Red Cross has stated that it is carrying out an investigation to determine whether any of the food administered by that organisation ended up in the rubbish heap in question.
Dignity points out that there have been other recent cases of food that has gone to waste or that has been re-directed, possibly due to corruption. The organisation cites a case where hundreds of pounds of rice provided by the EU, with 2014 expiration dates, ended up on the black market and turned into dog food.
Dignity highlighted the irony that even while there seems to be food available, the poor and their families are being, “Subjected to the indignity of having to attend lectures on self-esteem as a necessary precondition of receiving a few bags of food paid for byEurope”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/food-donation-dumped/)
According to a group that advocates for the rights of the homeless inSpain, boxes full of cheese, flour, soup and juice from the European Union andSpainwere found in a rubbish heap in a neighbourhood ofSanta Cruz. This food was intended for the needy and had been provided to groups such as the Red Cross and food banks, for distribution.
Eloy Cuadra of the Platform for the Dignity of the Homeless said in a statement that the waste is “unforgivable.” Cuadra said that the management of food distribution is evidently “out of control.”
Cuadra explained that his group had received a tip that in the García Escámez neighbourhood, a non-profit association had thrown away a significant amount of food. Found in the rubbish were boxes of cheese with 2013 expiration dates, along with flour that had expired in October 2012. Also found were boxes of fruit juice and soup. The food containers bore identifying labels of the EU and the Spanish government.
“Neither the municipal laws nor national regulations are being followed,” said Cuadra, who added that local police were made aware of the waste and have made a report. Among the reasons for discarding the food is the possibility that the food banks and other philanthropic organisations involved do not have adequate refrigeration.
The spokesman for Dignity said, “This is not a reason to cast blame on neighbourhood associations and others who don’t have refrigeration or adequate training to make proper distribution, but instead that the government should have a leading role in the matter.”
He noted that the distribution of food should not be left entirely in the hands of non-profit organisations. However, Hernán Cerón of the Tenerife Food Bank – which has been partially blamed for food waste – claims that every one of the 127 organisations in food distribution do indeed have adequate resources for food storage. According to the Spanish media, they have said that these institutions do not have refrigeration since they are only given non-perishable food. It is soup kitchens, said Cerón, which use and distribute perishable food. Cerón believes that the waste discovered by Dignity is an isolated case.
For its part, the Red Cross has stated that it is carrying out an investigation to determine whether any of the food administered by that organisation ended up in the rubbish heap in question.
Dignity points out that there have been other recent cases of food that has gone to waste or that has been re-directed, possibly due to corruption. The organisation cites a case where hundreds of pounds of rice provided by the EU, with 2014 expiration dates, ended up on the black market and turned into dog food.
Dignity highlighted the irony that even while there seems to be food available, the poor and their families are being, “Subjected to the indignity of having to attend lectures on self-esteem as a necessary precondition of receiving a few bags of food paid for byEurope”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/food-donation-dumped/)