ABSTRACT
Introduction The role and acceptability of charitable poverty relief is increasing not only in Finland but also in many other developed countries (Riches and Silvasti 2014). Especially food aid is often justified and defended by arguments drawn on ecological grounds, and the fight against food waste is used as a strong reason to promote donating expiring food to charities which distribute them to poor people. Food waste is a real problem and should be handled seriously. Yet, equally serious is the question of whether charitable food aid as a form of poverty relief is part of the solution or part of the problem in the context of the wealthy Western world.
