App to avoid food waste and save food

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APP TO AVOID FOOD WASTE

Technology can be a huge help in preventing food waste . Especially when it manages to reconcile the interests of retailers (who always have surplus food to dispose of, thus costing money) with those of consumers (who, at the end of the day, can shop at a super discount ). All online, through a dedicated app, and with a simple click.

THE BEST APPS AGAINST FOOD WASTE

Anti -food waste apps fall into two broad categories: those that build relationships between customers and retailers, and those that connect producers, distributors, and charities. Both offer significant savings and prevent the devastation of still-good food ending up in the trash.

APP FOR DONATING FOOD

Here are the top 10 apps that offer this type of service:

TOO GOOD TO GO

Literally: too good to throw away . It's the most popular app in the world (15 European countries and the United States), with 38 million users, more than 80 affiliated stores, and 60 million Magic Box sales. In practice, the mechanism is this: at the end of the day, the retailer, instead of throwing away unsold food that's about to expire or can't be kept, sells it below cost. How? By placing it in a Magic Box that the customer collects by the evening: it's a "surprise package," as the consumer can't choose the contents prepared by the retailer. The only constraint is the price: the discount cannot be less than 30 percent. In Italy, Too Good to Go is now a well-established reality: it's available in about fifty cities, with 15 affiliated stores, and three and a half million registered consumers.

BRING THE FOOD

Bring The Food is an app developed by researchers at the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento, in collaboration with the Fondazione Banco Alimentare. Its goal is to recover surplus food from small and large retailers, soup kitchens, and the restaurant industry, making it available to nonprofits and charities that, in turn, donate it to those most in need. Anyone can sign up as a potential "food donor" or "beneficiary."

LAST MINUTE CLOSE TO YOUR HOME

Last Minute Near Home is a large network that connects consumers ready to seize business opportunities, including food, with retailers interested in preventing unsold food from being wasted. All online, and all free. Consumers simply sign up: they'll then receive offers from local stores directly on their cell phones or smartphones. Then, when the customer is interested in a purchase, they can lock in the offer and head to the store to purchase it. The major advantage for retailers lies not only in terms of sales, thanks to products at risk of waste, but also in the app's underlying effectiveness. It's a technological tool that connects and builds customer loyalty. BestBefore and Phenix also offer different discount levels for products with imperfect packaging (and usually end up in the trash), or that are nearing their expiration date or even at the end of their stock. Discounts range from 10 to 50 percent.

MYFOODY

myFOODY is a platform, with an app available for both iOS and Android, that lets you find deals from your local supermarkets, saving up to 50% on your groceries and helping reduce food waste, with obvious environmental benefits. What foods are offered? Those close to their expiration date but still excellent, products with packaging defects, and seasonal foods at risk of being wasted.

UBO

Unfamiliarity with proper food storage rules leads to confusion and uncertainty. Thus, in addition to throwing away food that's actually spoiled because we haven't been able to preserve it properly, we run the risk of wasting food that's actually still good, because we mistakenly believe it might be harmful. With these assumptions in mind, the UBO (UNA BUONA OCCASIONE) awareness initiative was born, with a dedicated portal and app to inform consumers about proper food storage, thus combating food waste. The project was conceived by the Citizen and Consumer Protection Sector of the Piedmont Region and the Commerce Department of the Valle d'Aosta Region, and funded by the Ministry of Economic Development. Collaborating partners include the University of Turin, Slow Food, CinemaAmbiente, the Museo A come Ambiente, and the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria, and Valle d'Aosta. The UBO App provides storage tips for 500 foods, as well as information on their water footprint, nutritional value, and how to reuse leftovers and scraps. There's also information on the seasonality of fruits and vegetables and tips for making a grocery list. An "Ask the Expert" section is also available.

ECHO FROM THE FRIDGE

This web app's anti-waste mechanism isn't upstream of the food sales network, but downstream, when it comes to consumption at the table and we need to avoid cooking things that end up in the garbage. Or, as is quite common in our homes, we need to make a virtue of necessity, that is, organize a good dinner or lunch with the few ingredients we have available. The idea comes from Lucia Pizzini, head of the digital area of the Mission Bambini Foundation: the page is very well organized. It features a rich selection of easy-to-find recipes: just search for the ingredients you want to use.

PUCCIFRIGO

PucciFrigo is an Android app that reminds you of food expiration dates, preventing unnecessary and costly waste. It's simple and intuitive: just write down the name of the food and its expiration date, just like on a piece of paper, to constantly monitor it. Foods appear happy and cheerful when they're still many days away from their expiration date, while they gradually become sadder as the expiration date approaches. Daily notifications alert you to an impending expiration date or remind you to update PucciFrigo with the latest products purchased or consumed.

TKINKABOUT

Every day, producers affiliated with the TkinkAbout platform report food products that are still good but destined for the trash (perhaps simply because they're bruised or nearing their expiration date ). From that moment, they become available to company workers. Delivery is made directly to the company or home, within 2-3 days of ordering. Prices are discounted by 30 to 50 percent.

SPENDING ON TIME

This is another app that combines two advantages. Retailers avoid wasting leftover food at the end of the day, and consumers can purchase it at up to 90 percent discounts. Those who sign up to the platform simply enter the radius of their home: they'll then receive offers from the nearest stores directly on their smartphone. All they have to do is proceed with the purchase.

SOY COMIDA PERFECTA APP: HOW IT WORKS

The anti-food waste startup Soy comida perfecta was born from the desire of two entrepreneurs, Desiree Taboada, who has always been committed to raising awareness on environmental issues , and Natalia Escolá, to create an online store to sell food products that would otherwise end up in the garbage. Dented packages or with labels upside down; overripe fruits and vegetables, oddly shaped or unappealing, as we discussed in this article ; fresh and preserved products approaching their expiration date. These are some of the many goods available for purchase on the Spanish platform: all the products that, for various reasons, remain unsold or never even reach the point of sale. The basic rule, besides that of avoiding waste, is one and inviolable: all the foods offered must be healthy and of high quality.

Soy comida perfecta works simply and effectively. Once users have found the product they're interested in directly on the website or through the dedicated smartphone apps, they simply proceed with the purchase, which offers discounts of up to 80% . They can then pick up their groceries in-store or have them delivered to their home. Currently, deliveries are available throughout the city of Barcelona and the Castilian municipality of Castelldefels. The two founders plan to gradually expand the network, not only in Spain but also in other European countries.

LEARN MORE: Foodbusters, the food recovery superheroes from Ancona

Unsold Food App: The Advantages

The initiative benefits not only the environment, thanks to a reduction in the amount of food that ends up in the garbage. There are also economic advantages : consumers can take advantage of significant discounts that positively impact their food budgets.

The startup also has another important goal: to educate citizens about conscious consumption that turns saving food into a lifestyle habit. To achieve this goal, Desiree Taboada organizes conferences, events, and live video streams focused on the highly topical issue of food waste.

APP FOR DONATING FOOD

Thanks to increased awareness and responsibility, Italians have also changed their eating habits and significantly reduced food waste. This is certainly thanks to numerous awareness campaigns. But technology also plays a key role in our country, with the spread of portals and apps specifically designed to combat the needless waste of still-good food and recycle leftovers.

ALL THE TIPS TO AVOID WASTE IN THE KITCHEN

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