The Soylent Green riot scene comes to mind.

I don't know how much of this was due to a local food shortage because of the power outage and how much of it was due to inflation and the high cost of food, but either way it's troubling to see people fighting over food in the US.

This is just a glimpse of what will happen if food shortages should ever become widespread.

[Note: hyperlinks found at linked website article.]


===================

Chaos in Austin amid power outages as residents seen dumpster diving at H-E-B grocery store

Published February 4, 2023 10:27am EST

By Chris Pandolfo FOXBusiness

Posts on social media led people to believe that spoiled goods tossed into dumpsters outside Austin H-E-B grocery store was 'free food'

Hundreds of people were seen dumpster diving and fighting over "free food" that was discarded by an H-E-B store after a power outage on Thursday.

An official in Travis County, Texas, is warning the public not to eat the food retrieved from dumpsters outside the store, which was spoiled and unsafe for consumption.

Witnesses said grocery store employees were seen tossing meat and other perishable foods after a power outage at the store caused them to start to go bad, Fox 7 Austin reported.


Spoiled food discarded from the H-E-B Grocery store on I-35 and William Cannon in Austin, Texas. (Travis County Precinct 4 Constable / Fox News)



Deputies with the Travis County Precinct 4 Constable's Office and Austin Police Department worked to clear the area after more than 250 people were fooled into believing that spoiled food thrown away in dumpsters was "free." (Travis County Precinct 4 Constable.)

But someone posted on social media that there was "free food" at the store. Soon after, more than 250 people showed up and began fighting over rotting trash, according to Travis County Precinct 4 Constable George Morales.

"This is not free food!" Morales warned on Facebook. "The food is rotten and spoiled, and is unsafe to eat."


Police officers work to clear traffic caused by hundreds of people who tried to claim "free food" from the H-E-B Grocery store dumpsters. (Travis County Precinct 4 Constable / Fox News)

Morales said that deputies with Precinct 4 and the Austin Police Department responded to roads that were gridlocked because of the misinformation on social media. Police worked to clear the area.

"If you know someone that got food, let them know it is not safe," Morales said.

The Mayor of Austin apologized Friday after widespread power outages stretched into a third day following a deadly winter storm that has sent city officials scrambling and unable to say when the power will be back on.

"The city let its citizens down. The situation is unacceptable to the community, and it’s unacceptable to me," said Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat who took office in January. "And I’m sorry."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

============



https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Nx6H8vBosHE

The veneer of civilization is thin.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ZWA_cw9tss&feature=share….Carlin said it best

Bring on the toilet paper!

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
Bring on the toilet paper!

Not that shit again. The good news is: I am well stocked up and ready to go.

One man gathers what another man spills. "Spoiled food" to the lawyers is different than spoiled food to a hungry family.

Spoiled food is defined by X hours at Y temperatures, leading to Z levels of bacteria.

Both the bacteria themselves, and depending on conditions, toxins produced by bacteria, can make it unsafe to eat.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Spoiled food is defined by X hours at Y temperatures, leading to Z levels of bacteria.

Both the bacteria themselves, and depending on conditions, toxins produced by bacteria, can make it unsafe to eat.

Looks like a self-correcting problem.

Yep, anyone who has been in an area prior to or after a hurricane knows this will go down. People will fight over stupid stuff and at the drop of a hat.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
One man gathers what another man spills. "Spoiled food" to the lawyers is different than spoiled food to a hungry family.

For real. I get that it's liability exposure for the company but people in 3rd world countries have eaten worse.

I like the old testament principle of leaving a little on the fields and letting poor people work to get it. It gives dignity to the poor and it doesn't just give them a hand out.

"Spoiled food" sounds to me like typical media hyperbole. I suspect it is just that the "sell by" dates have expired, and HEB did the responsible thing. Besides, is there a law against picking up trash?

Spoiled food or not spoiled food- it doesn't matter in the least. Look at how thin is the veneer of civilization, and look at how unprepared many people are for even short term food shortages.

And the government is telling us we don't need AR15s. American civilians need AR15s more now than they have ever needed them and anyone who won't admit this is either stupid or a liar.

Gas stoves- when the power goes out, you can still cook on a gas stovetop. The oven is problematic because it relies on a thermostat and igniter system, but you can cook all day long on a gas stovetop, no power needed, just a match or a spark to light the flame.

How are you going to use your electric stove when the power is out? Generator? How many households actually have a generator, and how many have sufficient fuel for said generator?

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
"Spoiled food" sounds to me like typical media hyperbole. I suspect it is just that the "sell by" dates have expired, and HEB did the responsible thing. Besides, is there a law against picking up trash?

I think you've made a flawed hypothesis. If you look at the pictures it's refrigerated and frozen food being discarded, and the OP's quoted article had this key fact "discarded by an H-E-B store after a power outage on Thursday." Definitely not a massive "sell by date" discarding.

When people hear the word " free " it triggers something inside them .

The amazing thing is how many people buy anything posted on social media and react to these things,

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
The veneer of civilization is thin.

At any time, every major city is just three meals away from total "Mad Max" anarchy.

Want to know why preparation and protection are so critical these days? Imagine hoards of desperate people 3 or 4 days hungry. If they’ll do this when food is abundant, imagine what they’ll do when the shelves are indefinitely empty…….that is except for gluten free bread.

I was raised on discarded grocery store food. lol

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
The veneer of civilization is thin.

At any time, every major city is just three meals away from total "Mad Max" anarchy.

The Borrows World book series talk about a coordinated attack on the grid and fuel refineries. Food and water are basic needs and people react as you would expect.

It is interesting how the official rules are to throw away everything in your fridge if the power goes out for several hours and never touch any food past the expiration date. Is all that based on safety or to get people to buy more stuff?

For refrigerated stuff like meat and dairy, it's absolutely a safety issue.

For pantry stuff like canned/boxed food, it's generally to get people to buy more stuff. Those items last way longer than their listed expiration dates, provided the packaging isn't compromised. (Although there are exception, like dry yeast expiring and no longer being active, which isn't a safety issue but is a usability issue.)