Come dine with us! Urban food sharing in the 21st Century

a post by Anna Davies for the Transforming Society blog

In May 2019, The Guardian reported that a third of adults in the UK regularly eat alone; a figure which rises to almost half of all adults within London. This pattern of eating marks a radical departure from the bulk of human history where coming together around food was not just a pragmatic practice – sharing the spoils of food acquisition prevented spoilage before refrigerators became mainstream – but also a highly socialised experience where relations between individuals were cemented.

Media coverage of eating alone often focuses on the problems that underpin this shift: the increasing loneliness and anomie of our lives, particularly in urban environments; the ongoing and negative nutrition transition, where freshly-cooked meals are increasingly replaced with highly processed snacks laden with salt and sugar; and the rising obesity rates which are being recorded in many countries around the globe. These trends are disheartening, but there are also many thousands of inspiring activities in urban areas around the globe where explicit attempts to reinvigorate collective experiences around food from community gardens and cafes to gleaning events and surplus food redistribution initiatives are taking place.

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