Tenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts (EKFH) is a newly registered charity operating out of the Leith Theatre in North Edinburgh. Every day, dozens of volunteers prepare, pack and transport three microwavable meals to over 500 hundred housed but struggling people in Edinburgh. The ingredients are donated by supermarkets and prepared by chefs who remain on the conservative government’s COVID furlough scheme. At EKFH, I observed a process of decommodification– a process in contrast to the commodification that permeates food supply chains through the growth of agricultural input markets, ‘supermarketisation’ and so on. At EKFH, the prepared food is free and the whole mission of the organisation is to help people stay in their accommodation by relieving them of the cost and effort of preparing meals. But the process of decommodification does not stop there: the ingredients have no price, nor does the hourly labour of the chefs, packers, cyclists and drivers. Only petrol is accounted for and reimbursed. Volunteers are offered a plentiful supply of cut flowers, cakes, toiletries, and prepared sandwiches, which have all been donated by supermarkets. These free items do not equal the value of volunteers’ labour but they are appreciated. This organisation is one of many examples of a supply chain operating without recourse to the price mechanism. This research touches on the theoretical and intersection between economic value and sociological values. It also represents a practical exploration of how decommodification can emerge and function in the contemporary context.