Thanks for this blog post. Live Below the Line does not condone, encourage or support behaviour that encourages long term unhealthy eating or consequential eating disorders.

Live Below the Line does result in most of the participants reducing their food consumption, and as Campaign Manager I acknowledge and accept that people with an eating disorder may utilise our program for means other than it was designed for. Like every social space, the potentiality for uses other than intention are real and often well outside of our control.

Live Below the Line wants to create space that is as safe as possible for people to participate, which is why the campaign is a structured, 5 day challenge. It is a challenge that uses the concept of living off of much less as a reflective tool to both financially support our partners through fundraising, but also to create conversations about the reality of 1.2 billion people living below the poverty line. We do not condone doing it for longer than the 5 day period. People that have done it for a longer period have done that under medical guidance and not with our direct support.

Live Below the Line acknowledges your issues with this campaign, but we are we are proud of the difference Live Below the Line makes for the world’s poorest. Indeed as of today over $350,000 has been raised for our partner charities, an amount that has a very tangible difference to communities who have so little.

As we move into next year we will undertake to consult with organisations that understand eating disorders to get their advice on how we might further ensure that we are both aware and active in minimising the possibility of harm. However we are convinced that Live Below the Line provides an avenue for many everyday Kiwi’s to engage with an issue that is otherwise out of reach.