Carla Hinrichs, press spokeswoman for “Essen Retten – Leben Saving” says: “In Germany, 1,6 million people rely on food banks for their food. And at the same time, 30% of all food in this country is thrown away. This is complete madness! And with climate change, food will become even more scarce in the next few years. We therefore feel compelled to remind the federal government of its responsibility.”

The Food Saving Act is intended to oblige large supermarkets to provide edible food and thus take action against food waste.

“We will sit here until the government fulfills its duty and protects our lives with the food-saving law,” says Sonja Manderbach, one of the participants in the blockade.

The actions were preceded by the “hunger strike of the last generation” in the government district in Berlin in the summer of 2021. Henning Jeschke and Lea Bonasera used a hunger strike to obtain a conversation with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which took place in December 2021 and in which they first presented their demand for a food-saving law as part of a response to the climate crisis.

“Nothing has happened since our demands at the beginning of December. So far all we've heard is that it's an important issue - but we need the Food Saving Act NOW. When will the government start doing its job? When will she treat the climate emergency as an emergency? When will she save our food?
Our future?" said Lea Bonasera.
“Since then we have received a lot of support, including from the government – ​​for example Minister of Food Cem Özdemir or even from the Party leadership of the Green Party. But nice words are not enough – now action is needed!” she continues.

In the last few months, there have been repeated actions across Germany in which citizens publicly - and illegally - "contained" at supermarkets and gave away the saved food; among others, Jesuit Father Jörg Alt in December in Nuremberg. Numerous politicians have already expressed their solidarity with the actions.[1]