Mobile apps are now offering solutions to food waste through better distribution of food close to or beyond sell-by dates. Learn more.
Since 1900, food output has soared. These benefits have drawbacks. In order to create and sell food with a fresher, more consistent image, much of it is lost across the supply chain. Initially, what’s unsold by retailers and what consumers don’t eat at home. More than a third of the world’s food is wasted. Here are useful food waste apps to help limit food waste.
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Food production has reached new heights since the turn of the century. However, these great benefits have come with their weaknesses. In a bid to produce and sell food that is more appealing to the image of freshness and consistency, a lot of the food is lost at multiple stages of the supply chain.
Most notably, in the beginning, i.e., at the farms during harvest, what is unsold by retailers, and what consumers do not eat at home. It is reported that more than a third of the global food produced annually is lost as food waste. Waste in production, transportation and disposal all contribute significantly to global warming. So much so that it accounts for 8–10% of all greenhouse gas emissions pumped out each year.
Some nations have innovative solutions to fix this. In the case of France, it was the first nation to ban retailers from throwing away unsold food, suggesting it be donated. And Italy soon followed suit by offering tax reductions to retailers who donate their excess food to aid in food waste reduction. This was the catalyst for rethinking food policy and allowing retailers to give away food past its sell-by date while avoiding liability issues.
One of the many options recommended by FAO in their 15 tips to reduce waste and become a food hero article is as simple as buying groceries in small quantities. Doing so will reduce waste and also save you money, especially when you buy your food on specials like those that can be found in an IGA catalogue or any other supermarket near you.
Some more digitally focused solutions are also grabbing the interest of more tech-savvy people and helping lower our carbon footprint. Here are a few of those food waste prevention apps that are good to know and put to use immediately;
- Too Good To Go – Popular Option
This app connects customers to multiple local eateries like restaurants, cafes, and bakeries with excess food that would otherwise have been disposed of. All you do is register on the app, and you will be able to see a bunch of nearby locations with food ready to pick up.
It has a unique wow factor in which the food is packaged as a surprise “magic bag” but will still cost a fraction of what the regular meal would cost. The surprise meals can range from delicious confectioneries to gourmet meals. There is a wide variety of foods, as there are categories for vegetarian diets, groceries, confectionery treats, and more.
- FlashFood – Best Grocery Deals
This app was built with the intention of lowering food waste in the retail sector, as the founder spent a lot of time learning about wasteful practices and how to resolve them. In the process, he learnt that most food items are disposed of 2 weeks before their best-before / sell-by dates. The Flash Foods App instead sells these items at discounted prices.
- OLIO – Best Community Building
This app was created in Italy and is centred around connecting people from different neighbourhoods, as well as connecting them with local businesses with excess food that can be distributed. The great thing about this one is that it goes beyond retail waste by also encouraging community interaction, allowing users to give away spare home-grown veggies and fruit, groceries, or even trade gardening tools.