A wilted lettuce and a few brown bananas. Perhaps the meager booty that the Greifswald police officers found in Salome K.’s backpack will one day be found displayed in a museum, with the sign: “Because of this food, people in Germany ended up in court in 2022.” Dumpster diving is illegal in this country.
But if Justice Minister Marco Buschmann from the neoliberalFree Democrats (FDP)and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) have their way, fishing for edible food in supermarket trash containers will soon go unpunished, provided there is no trespassing or damage to property. “Anyone who saves food from the garbage can should not be prosecuted further for doing so,” Özdemir said.
