The “who” and “why” of dumpster diving for food in wealthy industrialised countries – an international scoping review

Michelle Watson is a PhD candidate in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University researching the “tipping point” or set of circumstances where a food insecure adult moves from using legal or “orthodox” means to get food, to contemplating using “unorthodox” or risky/illegal ways. She believes everyone has the right to food and this basic human right is often forgotten about or hidden in Australian society. Michelle has been involved with the Onkaparinga Food Security Collaborative and the Anti-Poverty Network SA. She has also written and co-authored academic papers on school breakfast programs and unorthodox food acquisition practices as well as co-authored a book chapter on nutrition and learning in the Australian context.

Dr Sue Booth is a dietitian with over 25 years' experience and has worked in a range of settings; community health, private practice and in government. She has a PhD in public health nutrition and is an academic expert on household food insecurity. Her interests include vulnerable populations and the impact of poverty on health and wellbeing, food policy, food systems and qualitative research methods. Sue was a founding member of the SHARE collaboration (Solutions supporting Household Food Security in Australia through Research and Evidence) https://www.monash.edu/medicine/household-food-insecurity/share-collaboration. She has written and co-authored over 45 academic papers and holds adjunct academic status at Flinders and Curtin Universities.

Dr Stefania Velardo is a Senior Lecturer in Health Education at Flinders University. She has been teaching health promotion and undertaking qualitative health research for over ten years, having published widely on the social dimensions of food. Stefania's work largely draws on oral and visual qualitative methods to investigate sociocultural influences on people's relationships with food, with a particular interest in inclusive child-centred methodologies. Beyond working with children, she is experienced in conducting qualitative health research with other vulnerable groups, including older Australians and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Professor John Coveney is Professor of Global Food, Culture and Health in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University. Earlier in his career, Professor Coveney worked as a leading nutritionist and dietitian addressing regional, indigenous and international health issues. Professor Coveney has published more than 150 papers, sole-authored a number of books and worked on major international projects and collaborations attracting significant research and grant funding. He has research and education interests in public health nutrition; history of food and health; food policy; and social and cultural factors that influence food patterns and food intake. John is convenor of the International Research Collective on Food, Culture and Health