Food aid, a factor of resistance for a food democracy

Far from being confined to exceptional and emergency assistance, food aid has become a means of feeding thousands of people. In this article, the author looks not only at the question of assistance, but at the more global structure of the food system, from production to distribution. Starting out as an unconditional gift with the Restos du Cœur, food aid has moved a long way from the Coluche spirit of sharing and humanism, towards an economically driven organisation that leads to food violence, with beneficiaries assigned to food that they have not chosen and that often clashes with their practices or culture. The goal is for agribusinesses and distributors to make profits, speculate on the price of basic foodstuffs, recycle unsaleable products into “pick-ups”, and take advantage of food subsidies from the European Social Fund. To remedy this catastrophic situation, the author is laying the foundations for a Social Security System for Food.