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submitted 3 days ago by glitching@lemmy.ml to c/vegan@lemmy.ml

what's y'alls stance on found, discarded animal-based food?

I'm dumpster diving for the past couple of months. combined with cruising the farmer markets around closing time, I usually score enough food that I have trouble carrying it home. seasonal vegetables and fruit mostly. I know a couple of spots where supermarkets throw away whole loafs of "expired" bread. in the freezer overnight, 7 minutes in the oven at dinner time - perfectly edible.

I've stopped eating meat like five years ago and I abandoned dairy and eggs a year ago. feel fine, lost weight; skin, hair and nails ain't the same but I'll live with it.

occasionally though I come across thrown away, intact meat and/or dairy stuff. like today, almost 5 Kg of some deli meat shit, I imagine it's pink slime inside, haven't opened it. it's past its best use date which don't bother me none. I'm not drawn to it, don't miss the taste or whatever, I'm just bothered by the waste of it.

so I'm not saying I'm gonna be swayed one way or the other but curious what other people think about this. thanks.

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[-] Moonrise2473@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

My main concern would be the bacteria thriving on that.

Stale bread: just less tasty, and mold can seen/tasted easily

Similar for veges, probably thrown because "not as fresh looking"

But expired meat? That means the poor animal has been butchered weeks/months ago and it's in decomposition

[-] chloroken@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

I'm not a vegan but I think vegans are fucking awesome. That's all.

[-] jerkface@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"I don't think women should be allowed to own property but I think feminists are fucking awesome." In what way, exactly?? Can you not see how condescending and insincere that sounds?

[-] techpeakedin1991@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago

In the same way that anti-racists can still have unaddressed racist beliefs, vegans can still have unaddressed carnist beliefs that they should try to get out of their minds. Thinking of uneaten meat as a 'waste' of food is one such belief. It means you still ultimately think of non-human animals as products to be eaten. Like, do you consider a burial to be a 'waste' of good human meat? Why do you have a different opinion on non-human meat? If you don't like seeing them rotting in the trash, you can give them a burial.

Unless you do consider burials a waste of resources I guess, then keep doing what you're doing.

[-] november@piefed.blahaj.zone 15 points 3 days ago

I feel the same way as I would about if I found discarded human meat. I might eat it if I was going to die otherwise, but I wouldn't be happy about it.

[-] stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

My dumpster diving days are far behind me, but that attitude used to be called "freegan".

For me, I wouldn't criticize anyone who chose to eat animal flesh sourced in this manner - no one in the capitalist supply chain is going to make any money off you, you're not increasing demand for animal flesh, eating that flesh does no harm to any living animal and makes it no more or less likely that more animals will be killed.

At the same time, the personal is political, and part of that is living your values in a way that is not only consistent but appears consistent to others. Publicly eating like a vegan, and sharing how your diet reflects your system of ethics, normalizes veganism and encourages people to respect and consider your point of view. Every time you, as a vegan, share a meal with others, you are also sharing your values, even if you unobtrusively choose a vegan meal option and don't say a word about other people's choices.

But if you call yourself a vegan, and then you eat meat, or wear leather, or otherwise consume animal products, it taints you with perceived hypocrisy, discredits your words and actions, and makes other vegans look bad by association.

Also, it just feels icky.

OP, I would ask, are you part of a collective? Are you in contact with other dumpster divers you could share or trade food with? Because I hate the waste involved, too, and though I wouldn't eat the animal flesh myself I would be willing to give it to someone whose ethics permit it.

[-] glitching@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

am not. thought about giving it away to street folk I come across but the idea doesn't jive with me - hey here's some expired shit hopefully you won't die bye!

[-] stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 days ago

And you're right to feel that way. Sharing dumpstered food with other dumpster divers who share your values is one thing - plenty of urban communes with shared kitchens do it. Sharing dumpstered food with random people on the street? I wouldn't do that either 😆

[-] boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago

People also call themselves "freegan" if they accept any animal based food others are giving them.

So I dont like that word

[-] 7bicycles@hexbear.net 11 points 3 days ago

skin, hair and nails ain't the same but I'll live with it.

comrade get some supplements they're not that expensive. you do not have to waste away for the greater good. the meat eaters don't even get this shit naturally, the animals just get the supplements instead

[-] glitching@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago

thank you for your concern. that's not in the cards right now but maybe in the future. got any recommendations, like generic stuff that might be effective?

[-] 7bicycles@hexbear.net 4 points 2 days ago

Now I ain't a doctor but if you're vegan supplementing B12 is basically a must unless you're eating ungodly amounts of fermented food and even then the jurys kind of out on that one. Literally any OTC stuff will do, if you're already dumpster diving I figure you might well find a pack of b12 pills in a blister there that are as fine to take as anything out of a dumpster

Hair and Nails might also be protein depending on if you just axed all the animal based stuff out of your diet with little replacement.

[-] mathemachristian@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 days ago

The point is harm minization right? Well eating it is gonna cause as much harm as letting it rot so might as well? As always the comparison for me is what if it were human and in this case I would be revolted at the thought but don't see a good reason not to if you aren't.

[-] actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

It might be worth saving, simply for the sake of preventing food waste. You don't have to eat it, but you may know people who could prevent it from going to waste.

this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2025
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