A video shot in the Philippines has gone viral as it gives an unsettling glimpse into food insecurity. Posted by @arabzclipz on Instagram, the clip, which has already drawn 1.8 million views, shows two content creators documenting how pagpag is made: discarded fast food, collected from trash bins, cleaned, and recooked into a meal.
In the video, one of the men explains, “Pagpag is fast food that is thrown in the trash and is picked out and cooked together in oil.” As the camera pans over a sizzling pan of fried chicken scraps, they talk to a young boy about his preferences and try to identify which chain the food originally came from. At one point, one of the creators hesitates: “I’m not sure if I want to eat the food or not because even though the chicken pieces look good, all I can see are bones.”
Watch the video here:
The footage has prompted a flood of emotional reactions online, ranging from shock to guilt to empathy. “Lord if I was ever ungrateful, please forgive me,” one user wrote. Another said, “The moral of the story is to be grateful for what you have.”
Others shared memories of similar hardship. “Been there, done that… Living in a junkyard on cardboard box,” one comment read. “This makes me grateful I can eat what I want. Sometimes I forget how blessed I am,” said another.
Pagpag – Tagalog for “to shake off dirt” – is a survival meal in many impoverished communities in Metro Manila, especially in places like Tondo. The dish may include expired meat, fish or vegetables, sourced from garbage dumps or supermarket waste, and then recooked, usually by deep frying.
Though not new, the visuals of the video has made the practice uncomfortably real for global audiences. As the focus on global hunger is rising, the video gives a jarring contrast, and a reminder that for some, even thrown-away food is worth salvaging.
According to the 2024 Global Hunger Index, the Philippines ranks 67th out of 127 countries, with a “moderate” level of hunger. India ranks 105th, categorised as “serious”.
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