Unorthodox food acquisition practices are increasing globally and to date, none have been documented. This review summarizes unorthodox as well as orthodox strategies used by food insecure adults. A database search confirmed the existence of coping strategies that ranged from legal (orthodox) to illegal and risky (unorthodox) practices used during episodes of food insecurity. The scoping review revealed the drivers of unorthodox food acquisition practices are neither fully understood, nor investigated to identify the tipping point at which this behavior becomes acceptable, or where we can intervene to preserve dignity and the human right to food.