12 applications to prevent household food waste and protect the planet – Food Tank
According to the United Nations Environment Program Food Waste Index 2021 report, about 931 million metric tons of food ends up in the trash. That’s enough to fill 23 million 40-ton trucks “bumper to bumper, enough to circle the earth seven times,” said Richard Swannell, international director of the Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP). Of the 931 million tonnes of food waste, 61 percent, or 569 million tonnes, comes from households.
“The ability to reduce food waste… has a huge impact on climate emissions,” Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED, told Food Tank.
If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. And Project Drawdown, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ranks food waste reduction as the number one solution that can help reduce climate emissions.
Gunders tells Food Tank that reducing and preventing household food waste is a “very soluble and achievable problem” and hopes people “can really see how little changes in our lives add up.”
Fortunately, dozens and dozens of mobile apps and websites around the world allow users to track their food purchases and reuse ingredients. These tools can help consumers reduce their waste and protect the environment, while saving them money. In honor of International Food Waste Reduction and Loss Awareness Day, Food Tank highlights 12 global resources that offer simple, creative and delicious solutions to reduce household food waste.
1. CozZo, Bulgaria
Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, software developer Ivo Dimitrov first launched the CozZo app in 2017 as a holistic kitchen management system. The app aims to tackle food waste by allowing users to create shopping lists, manage refrigerator and pantry stocks, track expiration dates, plan meals, and discover recipes at from ingredients found at home. CozZo has expanded its reach beyond Bulgaria and now has users in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia. According to Dimitrov, the app allowed users to reduce their food waste by 50-70% in the first one to three months.
2. EroeGo, United Arab Emirates
In 2021, Daniel Solomon and John Werner launched the UAE’s first app designed to tackle food waste and climate change. EroeGo provides an online grocery platform where users can access fresh groceries that expire and are offered at discounted prices. The app also offers a delivery service based on a commission structure, which aims to benefit delivery drivers. EroeGo aligns its mission with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, with the goal of eradicating hunger and providing basic nutrition education and access to fresh food.
3. Kitche, United Kingdom
Founded in 2018 and powered by the Kitche it motto, don’t drop it, the London-based start-up has created an app that helps users save money and reduce food waste from the comfort of their own homes. Using the free app, users first scan and download the products from their purchase receipts. Then Kitche categorizes items, provides reminders to make sure food isn’t wasted, and lets users filter thousands of recipes based on ingredients they already have at home. The app recently won the High Commended Award for Best Zero Waste Brand at Marie Claire’s Sustainability Awards.
4. Love food hate waste, UK
The Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), a UK non-profit organization, established Love Food Hate Waste in 2010. This initiative aims to help consumers reduce household food waste, save money and save money. protect the environment by saving energy, water and reducing harmful gases. On the app and on the website, users can find easy-to-make recipes using whatever ingredients they have on hand. It also helps users calculate portions, plan meals, create shopping lists, track kitchen inventory, and regulate refrigerator temperature to keep food fresher for longer. In 2020, WRAP reported that Love Food Hate Waste had reached 31% of people in the UK, up from around 15% in 2018.
5. Magic fridge, France
Since 2015, Magic Fridge, or Magic Fridge, is committed to the fight against household food waste through its archives of French anti-waste recipes. The free app allows users to browse 4,800 simple and healthy recipes made with leftover ingredients. It also provides a platform for users to upload and share photos of their dishes. Magic Fridge has inspired over 2 million people around the world to find creative ways to reuse and reuse food in their homes.
6. MyFoodways, Switzerland
Created by Foodways Consulting, a Swiss company based in Bern, the MyFoodways app provides users with healthy, environmentally sustainable and flexible recipes based on the items they have on hand. MyFoodways takes into account users’ food preferences and suggests ways they can move towards more sustainable eating habits, while allowing them to tailor recipes using products in their kitchens. Since the app launched in 2018, users have cooked over 5,000 recipes. According to a study from the University of Applied Sciences of Northern Switzerland (FHNW), active users have shown a growing interest in sustainable eating practices, including wasting less food and eating seasonally.
7.noh, United Kingdom
Co-founders Somdip Dey, Suman Saha and Anupam Ghosal created nosh, an application using internal artificial intelligence technology to track expiration dates and monitor user buying habits. The app allows users to scan barcodes to track stored items and provides recipe suggestions based on the expiration dates of those items. To further reduce food waste, the app’s algorithm informs users about their shopping and food waste habits, helping them make more informed decisions at the supermarket. In 2020, nosh won the award for best mobile app design.
8. NoWaste, Denmark
As a student, Kasper Hjortsballe founded NoWaste in 2017 with a mission to reduce food waste and save money. The app offers tools for organizing foods and expiration dates, such as inventory lists and options to sort foods by expiration date, name, or category. NoWaste also offers options to sync and share lists with family members and friends, allowing users to learn from their community’s food waste reduction efforts. In 2021 alone, NoWaste tracked more than 700,000 food items in private homes.
9. Olio, United Kingdom
In 2015, co-founders Saasha Celestial-One and Tessa Clarke found that one in three people experience physical pain when throwing good food. This inspired them to launch Olio, a free food sharing app. After its launch, it quickly turned into a global market saving thousands of food items every week. In cities around the world, users connect with neighbors and local businesses to share surplus food. Users upload a photo and description of the item they want to share, arranging for pickup through private messaging. Olio reports that he has helped eaters share over 27 million servings of food.
10. Seva cuisine, India
Nagpur philanthropist Khushroo Poacha founded Seva Kitchen, a participatory food distribution app that connects donors of fresh, safe, home-cooked meals with recipients in real time. The app seeks to combat the large amount of food wasted at parties, festivals and large gatherings, by connecting donors with the people and organizations in need of food nearby. Seva Kitchen also launched the initiative Neki Ka Pitara, or Fridge of Kindness, which aims to provide fresh food to people in schools and hospitals across India. With 20 refrigerators located in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Nagpur and New Delhi, donors can take turns providing fruit, milk, eggs and packaged food. On average, the Seva Kitchen app facilitates 23 shares per month of surplus food in India.
11. Yo No Desperdicio, Spain
First launched as a website in 2015 and then applied the following year, the NGO for human rights and food justice, Enraíza Derechos, created Yo No Desperdicio to prevent household food waste in Spain. . Users post an advertisement for the raw or cooked food they want to share, and then arrange for pickup through private messaging. The online platform also allows users to share recipes and tips to further reduce food waste. Yo No Desperdicio is currently conducting research on food waste and citizen engagement with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the neighborhoods of Arganzuela, Centro and Tetuán in Madrid.
12. YoRipe, Singapore
Fang Xinyan founded YoRipe as Asia’s first social mobile app for household food management and waste prevention. The online platform not only suggests recipes to consumers based on their dietary preferences, cooking skills and available ingredients, but also allows users to scan receipts, create inventory lists and track inventory. food to avoid waste. Across South East Asia, YoRipe aims to inspire food waste prevention through social connections. The platform offers users the ability to participate in culinary challenges, post recipes and share creations with a community of over 50,000 home cooks.