The “who” and “why” of dumpster diving for food in wealthy industrialised countries – an international scoping review

Abstract

Purpose

Globally, around one-third of food produced is wasted and thrown into supermarket bins or dumpsters. As a result, these dumpsters have become opportunistic sources of food through dumpster diving. The authors' scoping review aimed to document the people that are dumpster diving and why these people engage in this potentially illegal practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A database search spanning 12 years yielded 29 articles for review.

Findings

The authors' analysis uncovered two main themes for why people were dumpster diving: (1) motivations which included political activism against consumerism, materialism and capitalism, a fun and thrilling social activity and to alleviate food insecurity and (2) the benefits derived, such as gaining free food, saving money, sharing food with others and gaining attention from the public and media.

Originality/value

In conclusion, the review was unable to provide definitive information on “who” was dumpster diving; however, this limitation provides a unique opportunity for further research that focusses on the specific demographics of dumpster divers rather than the “why” people are diving.

Citation

Watson, M., Booth, S., Velardo, S. and Coveney, J. (2023), "The “who” and “why” of dumpster diving for food in wealthy industrialised countries – an international scoping review", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 10, pp. 3784-3799. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2023-0014