Helped himself to garbage

Food rescuer sent to prison for four weeks

Christian A. intends to appeal against the sentence in any case.

(Bild: privat)

A Viennese man has now gone on trial for fishing edible food out of a large discount store's garbage. 

Time and again, edible but expired food ends up in the garbage at supermarket chains. It is not always possible to sell or even donate them in time. Christian A. from Vienna has dedicated himself to saving this food from the landfill. He is a so-called food rescuer. Time and again, his tours bring him into conflict with the law - because the waste containers of large food chains are of course not located on public land. The Viennese man has now ended up in court because of one such food drive.

According to A., the gate was open - according to the criminal complaint, the police saw it differently.

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

On tour at the end of May
But from the beginning: At the end of May, Christian A. and a fellow campaigner went on their rounds again. Their destination: waste containers from large food chains. At 3 a.m., they found what they were looking for in Stromstraße. The problem: the containers are located behind a massive fence. "The gate was open and you could see a lot of food and healthy plants from afar," Mr. A. told the "Krone" newspaper.

A passer-by raised the alarm
A passer-by apparently saw things differently and alerted the police. They arrived immediately and arrested the two food rescuers. Now Mr. A. had to stand trial as the main perpetrator. According to the criminal complaint: "Christian A. attempted to take movable property belonging to a third party, namely food, by breaking into an enclosed space with intent." The amount in dispute: a whole 50 euros.

The explanation "food rescue" was apparently not enough for the court. Christian A. was sentenced to four weeks' conditional imprisonment. He intends to appeal. "I would have even saved the discount store money by taking it away", says A.