Food Not Bombs

Food Not Bombs (FNB) is a loose-knit group of independent collectives that distribute free, usually vegan and vegetarian food. This food is typically sourced from donations or from salvaging and then served in public spaces or at activist gatherings. There are about 1,000 FNB collectives in about 60 countries around the world. It is often considered an anarchist or anarchist-inspired group, as well as a form of franchise activism.

The first FNB collective was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by members of the anti-nuclear movement. After hosting a soup kitchen as a form of "street theater", the group dedicated themselves to feeding people full time. In the late 1980s, FNB co-founder Keith McHenry moved to San Francisco, where he founded a second FNB collective amidst a mass houselessness crisis in the area. By the early 1990s, there were about 30 active FNB collectives in both the United States and Canada. Soon after FNB's first international gathering in 1992, more collectives were founded in cities across the world.

FNB collectives have been involved in many mass protest movements, including the anti-globalization movement, the Occupy movement, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Gaza war protests, often participating in demonstrations and feeding protesters. Some collectives have faced legal reprisals such as tickets and arrests for their foodshares, often due to city permitting laws.

FNB's principles include veganism, vegetarianism, the distribution of free food, group autonomy, consensus decision-making, and nonviolent direct action. Many of its members are migrant workers, punks, underemployed people, unhoused people, and university students organized as unpaid volunteers. Some scholars note the transgressive nature of FNB's activism. Others discuss its foodshares as a form of altruistic gift-giving.