LOADING

Type to search

Sustainable Food Apps Fighting Global Food Waste

(Intelligent Living) – According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one-third of all food produced per year is spoiled before consumed, equaling 1.3 billion tons of wasted food. Research also suggests that high-income countries waste as much food as sub-Saharan Africa produces. That’s a lot of food!

Food waste in the U.S. is so abundant that it amounts to between 30 to 40% of all food produced. Unfortunately, instead of feeding a hungry person, leftover food is sent to a landfill, turning into methane gas as it decomposes – significantly contributing to greenhouse gases (GHGs).

When this is combined with the amount of energy it takes to harvest, manufacture, transport, and store this food, it contributes up to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the planet. To put that into perspective, if food waste was a country – it would be the third-highest emitter of GHGs in the world, after the U.S. and China.

Thankfully, various sustainable, anti-food waste apps and businesses are working together to reduce global food waste by keeping food out of landfills and into hungry tummies.

OLIO – Sustainability App

Community sustainability app OLIO has recently announced a $43million Series B round to fund its fight against global food waste.

OLIO, founded in 2015 by Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One, has gained a user base of five million people. This app is used to give away unwanted food and household items to neighbors for free. Its main goal is to reduce in-home waste and help people to consume locally and sustainably.

Clarke devised OLIO after struggling to find someone to take the unwanted food from her fridge when she moved home. Since its launch, the app has saved more than 25 million portions of food and three million non-food items from going to the landfill.

Eventually, OLIO plans to expand worldwide, focusing on ten main markets in Northern Europe, Asia, and Latin America, where the app has seen strong organic growth.

Clarke explained:

OLIO has grown five times over the last year, reflecting a step change that’s taken place as businesses and citizens look to be more sustainable and connect with their local communities. We’re beyond thrilled to have raised this capital from a brilliant set of investors who are backing our vision of reinventing consumption for more than one billion OLIOers by 2030.

 

We have this enormous ambition because humanity cannot continue to puzzle over how to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees and feed a population of 10 billion – while continuing to throw away one-third of the food we produce and consume as if we have 1.75 planets. In solving these twin problems, we aim to build one of the most transformational companies of our generation.

The funds will go towards fast-tracking the rollout of OLIO’s Food Waste Heroes program in the U.K. and other international markets. The Food Waste Heroes Programme supports restaurants and food businesses worldwide in their quest to achieve zero food waste.

So far, OLIO has more than 30,000 Food Waste Heroes. They are trained members of the community collecting and redistributing unserved or unsold food from businesses such as Costa Coffee, Compass Catering, Elior, and Pret A Manger. Tesco is the latest retailer to join the program, with 2,700 UK stores now redistributing extra food nearing its sell-by date via OLIO’s scheme.

Aside from connecting neighbors to give away food and household items, OLIO also offers a ‘MADE’ section for users to buy & sell handmade crafts and local homemade food; ‘GOALS,’ which reveals over 100 simple hacks to living more sustainably; and it will launch new features: ‘BORROW’ and ‘WANTED,’ within six months.

Too Good To Go – Anti-Food Waste App

Too Good To Go, named a winner in the apps category of Fast Company’s 2021 World-Changing Ideas Award, is an anti-food-waste app that lets you buy whatever food your favorite restaurant has left when it is near closing time. Whether it’s a pasta dish, fresh sushi, or a delicious dessert, you never know what you will get; it’s always a surprise.

According to Fast Company, since the portions left at the end of the day are usually too small of an amount for food banks to pick up, restaurants would wind up throwing the extra food away – and that is precisely what this app intends to avoid.

The service is free for customers to use, and the app takes a cut from the sales price of the food, which is typically about one-third of the cost of ordering from the menu. Finally, as part of being environmentally conscious, Too Good To Go doesn’t do deliveries; therefore, customers have to pick up their meals in person.

Other food-waste apps exist, including Food for All, Food Rescue Hero, Food Cloud, GOMKT, GOODR, Waste NO Food, and Tango Tab: When You Eat, They Eat. However, none of them include the surprise element that you get from the one-price bag of whatever the restaurant has left to offer at the end of the day. All you have to do is order on the app and pick up your bag. It’s that simple.

In addition to partnering with restaurants and cafes, the app also connects with coffee shops, grocers, food stores, and anywhere food is wasted. Well-known NYC establishments, including Stumptown Coffee, Tartinery, Black Seed Bagels, and Breads Bakery, have all signed on. The latest to sign up is Pret A Manger, an international sandwich shop franchise chain based in the U.K. Pret currently has over 460 shops in the U.K., with 317 of those locations in London.

Pret A Manger Partners With Too Good To Go

Pret A Manger and Too Good To Go have recently announced their joint partnership following a successful pilot across 30 shops. Now, every Pret shop that sells hot food is live on the Too Good To Go app. In addition, all Magic bags purchased via the app will comprise unsold hot food items, which cannot be redistributed through The Pret Foundation to local communities and charities.

As a bonus, 50% of all proceeds will go to The Pret Foundation to aid those in need, continuing Pret’s mission to tackle hunger, poverty, and homelessness.

Pret highlights that it’s fully committed to helping those in need by donating unsold items when shops close every day. So far, consumers have rescued 19,700 Magic Bags of food, saving more than 49,345 kg of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) from being wasted. Their goal is that the extended partnership will lead to 1,055 tonnes of CO2e being saved annually.

Ellen Jones, Pret A Manger’s Global Head of Sustainability, noted:

We’re excited to be partnering with Too Good To Go to continue our efforts to tackle food waste. At Pret, one of our core values is doing the right thing, and this is underpinned by the Pret Foundation and donating our unsold food to local charities at the end of each day.

 

Through this new partnership, we are excited to expand our efforts to reduce food waste by safely distributing our growing range of hot food items through the Too Good To Go Magic Bag collections.

Paschalis Loucaides, Too Good To Go’s U.K. Managing Director, said:

I’m thrilled to have rolled out our partnership with Pret. Pret has a long-standing reputation for doing the right thing and already does a fantastic job at making sure their unsold fresh food is redistributed through The Pret Foundation at the end of each day.

 

However, hot food poses more of a challenge, and this is where we are able to help. Our nationwide community of Waste Warriors is ready and waiting to snap up the Pret Magic Bags on our app to ensure that this hot food is eaten and enjoyed instead of wasted.

Loucaides stressed that the number one solution to fighting climate change is reducing food waste. He is confident that Pret’s partnership with Too Good To Go could ensure food is not wasted worldwide, thus protecting our planet’s future.

Topics

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LOADING

Type to search

Blog

GreenCo Launches Free ESG App to Help Companies Accelerate Climate Disclosure and Sustainability Action
FPX Nickel Joins Mining Association of Canada and UN Global Compact
FedEx Expands Electric Delivery Fleet in Hong Kong to Meet Rising Sustainability Demand
India's Data Centre Industry: Powering Growth Sustainably?
EU, US Finalize $750 B Energy Deal with $600 B in European Investments
Gentari, Gamuda to Develop 1.5 GW Solar Project to Power Malaysia’s Hyperscale Data Centers
Norway Launches Northern Lights CCS with First CO2 Storage
Matthew Sekol: My Hope for Climate Week NYC – A Farewell (for now) with Love
ESG News Week In Review: 17 August – 24 August
Westpac Appoints Michael Chen Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer
China Launches Green Foreign Debt Financing to Boost Global Capital Flows
Crédit Agricole CIB Backs Zenobē with $355 M Financing to Roll out 1,000 Electric Vehicles across Europe
Macquarie Raises $405M for Vertelo to Accelerate India’s EV Transition
STX Group Delivers First Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificates to Boost Market Access
BBVA Raises €1 Billion Green Bond Amid Strong Investor Demand
Verra Partners with S&P Global on Next-Generation Carbon Market Platform
Photo of exhibit at Climate Week NYC 2025
UK Unveils Draft Transition Finance Guidelines to Support High-Emitting Sectors’ Decarbonization
Morgan Stanley Backs Overhaul’s $105M Series C to Advance Supply Chain Sustainability
Meta, Silicon Ranch, and Central Electric Advance 100 MW Solar Project in South Carolina
UmweltBank Expands Sustainable Investment Options with Green & Social Bond ETF
Google’s Approach to Cutting AI’s Energy, Water and Carbon Footprint
MB Energy joins the United Nations Global Compact to Support Ethical EnergyMB Energy joins the United Nations Global Compact to Support Ethical Energy
Half of Companies Fail to Integrate EHS into Long-Term Strategy, EY Report Finds
Deep Sky, Skyrenu Achieve North America’s First CO₂ Storage via Direct Air Capture
Allectrify Launches FASTPACE.com to Streamline C-PACE Financing Nationwide
PepsiCo, Bold Reuse Launch NFL Stadium Cups
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Acquires 1 GWh Battery Storage Project in Arizona
ESMA, EU Environment Agency Tighten Ties on Sustainable Finance Oversight
BlackRock's Larry Fink Appointed as WEF Interim Co-chair
Homeowners Pile Into Solar Before Federal Tax Incentive Ends
BlackRock’s GIP Buys 49.99% Stake in Eni’s Carbon Capture Business
LG Cuts Carbon Emissions and Plastic Use in Air Conditioner Manufacturing
SBTi Invites Automakers to Pilot Draft Net-Zero Standard
Philippines Moves to Launch Carbon Credit Policy for Energy Sector
Marsh Delivers Carbon Credit Insurance to Drive $210M Financing for U.S. Carbon Removal Project
Google, Kairos Power and TVA to Deploy First Advanced Nuclear Reactor
California Court Upholds Climate Disclosure Laws, Rejects Chamber of Commerce Challenge
Iberdrola Advances Supply Chain Sustainability Training with UN Compact
AirTrunk Secures $1.65B Green Loan, Boosting Singapore’s Position as Asia’s Green Finance Hub
AIIB Publishes First Sustainability Report Applying ISSB Standards
ERM, Nippon Life Launch Nature Finance Approach to Advance Biodiversity Investment
UN Global Compact Network USA Names Shobha Meera as Treasurer
Assent Launches EU Deforestation Regulation Compliance Software Ahead of 2025 Deadline
Masdar Commits $1.7B of Green Bond Proceedings to Clean Energy Projects
ESG News Week In Review- 10 August – 17 August
Climate Without Borders: Quiet Resilience in a Fragmented ESG Era
Global Banks and Investors Fund $9 Trillion in Deforestation-Risk Companies: Forest 500 Report
Achmea IM Launches €250M Private Equity Impact Fund
CNH Joins UN Global Compact Brazil Network to Advance Sustainable Agriculture
Plastic Treaty Talks Stall in Geneva, But Countries Commit to Continue Negotiations
UN Global Compact Network Singapore Appoints David Fogarty as Executive Director
FCA Highlights Progress and Challenges in Sustainability-Linked Loan Market
SBTi Reports 227% Rise in Firms Setting Near- and Long-Term Climate Targets
Qatar Expands Green Finance Strategy with First Sovereign Green Bonds
Nuveen Raises $1.3B for Energy, Power Credit Fund
Macquarie Asset Management Provides €51M Financing for Finnish Onshore Wind Portfolio
500 Global Launches Program to Scale Sustainable Startups in the Global South
Alliance to End Plastic Waste Marks Five Years of Action, Launches Strategy 2030
Central Asia Joins UN Global Compact in Push for Sustainable Business Growth
ICVCM Approves Verra’s Biochar and Forest Carbon Methods for High-Integrity Credits
Aerial view of wildfires smoke over a scorched Mediterranean landscape during Europe’s August 2025 heatwave.
Apollo Backs Kelvion with Majority Acquisition to Drive Data Center and Clean Energy
CFA Institute Explains How Global Compliance Carbon Markets Operate
J.P. Morgan Backs $210M Financing for Chestnut Carbon’s Large-Scale Afforestation Projects
Sayari Earth, Stellenbosch University Partner to Advance Biochar for Climate and Biodiversity Gains
Seaspan Energy, Anew Climate Partner on Renewable LNG for West Coast Shipping
Trane Technologies Launches BrainBox AI Lab to Drive Smarter, Sustainable Building Operations
International Youth Day
ICE Launches Climate Risk Data and Analytics for Private Companies
Ikea's Ingka Group Makes First Circular Investment in China with Plastic Recycler Re-mall
Ford to Invest $5B in New Electric Vehicle Platform
Temasek Trust Backs Equatic with US$11.6M to Expand Carbon Removal and Green Hydrogen Projects
AWS, Gentari Sign 80MW Wind Power Deal in India to Advance Net Zero Targets
Watershed, Stanford Launch Cornerstone to Protect and Expand Global Scope 3 Carbon Data
Occidental’s First Large-Scale DAC Hub to Capture 500,000 Tonnes of CO2 Annually by 2025
DHL Supply Chain Launches Hydrogen Trucks in Japan to Cut Logistics Emissions
Arevon Completes $2B Solar-Plus-Storage Facility in California
British Columbia Updates Offset Protocol Framework, Reviews Fuel Switch Protocol
EBA Issues No-Action Letter on ESG Disclosure Requirements and Updates ESG Risk Dashboard
ESG News Week In Review: 03 August – 10 August
New CDP Report Shows Companies Can Earn 7x Return from Climate Action
Energy Vault Secures $300M to Launch Asset Vault for 1.5GW Storage Projects
Fortescue Secures $2 Billion Yuan Loan to Advance Decarbonization Push
Emerge and Emirates Development Bank Partner to Advance Solar Project Development and Financing in UAE
UBS Exits Net-Zero Banking Alliance Amid Broader Retreat by Global Bank
BeZero to Provide Independent Risk Analysis of Article 6.2 Credits for Switzerland
Speeki to Integrate Agentic AI into ESG Platform for Proactive Sustainability Management
Standard Chartered and State of Acre Partner to Deliver High-Integrity Carbon Credits
FCA Sets Out Findings from Climate Reporting Review of Financial Firms
IATA and Chooose Partner to Deliver Accurate Flight Emissions Data
Meta, Georgia Tech, and Cusp AI Launch AI-Powered Dataset Targeting Breakthroughs in Carbon Removal
bp, JERA Establish JERA Nex bp to Drive 13GW Global Offshore Wind Portfoli
J.P. Morgan Mansart Launches Global Equity Fund Tracking New Sustainability Index
Carbon Compared Launches Free Interactive Tool to Compare High‑Integrity Carbon Credits
Prometheus Lowers Direct Air Capture Costs by 80%, Enabling Low-Cost E-Fuels
Germany Approves Ambitious Bill to Fast-Track Carbon Storage Infrastructure
Blackstone's Energy Transition-focused Private Equity Fund Announces Agreement to Acquire Enverus
Amazon and Brimstone Advance Partnership on Lower-Carbon Cement with Successful Initial Testing
Lenovo Launches TruScale DaaS for Sustainability to Cut Carbon, Drive Circular IT
","session_id":"ep-sess-1760009501-d27oqQpP","page_url":"https:\/\/esgnews.com\/sustainable-food-apps-fighting-global-food-waste\/","post_id":"5222","tracking_enabled":"1","original_referrer":"","has_embedded_content":""}; /* ]]> */