Fooddonate

Description

Established in December 2020, Opi-Foods Ltd. is a forward-thinking startup with a clear mission: to combat food waste through its innovative Fooddonate project.

The Fooddonate initiative centers around the development of a web application serving as a marketplace, providing a platform where Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering (HORECA) businesses can generously offer surplus food for donation. This groundbreaking web app empowers users to conveniently book and pay for boxes filled with excess food from partner food stores. Furthermore, users have the flexibility to choose the NGO or foster home to which they''d like these food boxes delivered. Fooddonate takes charge of the logistics, ensuring seamless transportation from the food store to the chosen beneficiaries. Notably, the end user solely facilitates the donation process via the web platform, eliminating the need to visit food stores physically. Time constraints on donations are nonexistent, enhancing user convenience.

The project boasts significant outcomes, including enhancing the company''s market positioning, fostering growth in turnover, increasing net operational profit, and creating employment opportunities. Additionally, the initiative is primed to make a substantial impact in reducing daily food waste, contributing to significant environmental benefits. Over a span of five years, Fooddonate is expected to save approximately 14 tons of CO2 emission equivalents. This remarkable feat is achieved by preventing the wastage of 3,200 surprise meals, each weighing 1 kg, leading to a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. Beyond waste reduction, Fooddonate seeks to streamline and simplify the food donation process, making it a seamless experience for all users.

Summary of project results

OPI-Foods Ltd. faced significant challenges linked to the pervasive issue of food waste, impacting societal and environmental dimensions:

• Global Scale of Food Waste: One-third of all food produced globally was wasted, representing a significant loss of resources (water, energy, labor) without fulfilling its primary purpose of feeding people. The disposal of wasted food contributed substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, making food waste the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases if considered a country, behind China and the United States.

• Regional Challenges in Europe and Bulgaria: Bulgaria, like many European countries, struggled with persistent food waste issues, further complicating efforts to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which seeks to halve food waste.

• Barriers to Food Donation in Bulgaria: The Bulgarian Food Bank (BFB), the main facilitator of food donations, imposed restrictive policies, such as not accepting cooked food, surplus from buffets, or catering services. Stringent regulations required donors to individually package and label items with disclaimers, creating a labor-intensive and discouraging process. These logistical and regulatory hurdles significantly reduced the scope of donations, perpetuating food waste and its associated environmental and social impacts.

Overall, these challenges highlighted the need for systemic reforms to simplify food donation processes, enhance collaboration, and mitigate food waste’s substantial contribution to climate change.

The project implemented an innovative solution to combat food waste and promote sustainability by establishing a web application that served as a marketplace for HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, Catering) businesses to donate or sell surplus food. Key activities  included:

Development of the Web Application:

• Designed and built a user-friendly platform enabling HORECA businesses to list surplus food in "surprise boxes" with at least 40% discounts.

• Integrated payment functionalities and established a scalable, secure IT infrastructure.
• Conducted beta testing, bug fixing, and iterative updates to ensure smooth functionality.

Promotion and Commercialization:

• Launched marketing campaigns to attract HORECA businesses, NGOs, charities, and end-users, emphasizing benefits like reduced food waste and affordable meals.
• Built a robust network of stakeholders to ensure a steady supply of surplus food and active participation.

The outputs are related to:

• Functional Web Application: Delivered a fully operational platform facilitating surplus food transactions, with integrated payment options for seamless use.
• Network Engagement: Established a strong network of businesses, NGOs, charities, and end-users to collaboratively address food waste.
• Environmental Impact: Rescued an estimated 3,200 meals over five years, reducing food waste and avoiding approximately 14 tons of CO2 emissions (4.2 kg CO2 saved per kg of food).
• Economic and Social Benefits: Enhanced the company’s competitiveness through sustainable and innovative practices, leading to growth opportunities. Simplified the food donation process, removing barriers and encouraging greater participation.

The project successfully combined technological innovation with environmental and social objectives, reducing food waste, lowering carbon emissions, and fostering community collaboration, setting a scalable model for impactful interventions in the food sector.

The Fooddonate project delivered significant outcomes, addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges while benefiting multiple stakeholders. Key results achieved are related to: 

Environmental Impact:

• Prevented food waste saved approximately 3,200 meals over five years, reducing 10 tons of CO2 emissions and contributing to global climate goals.
• Promoted resource optimization, saving 4.2 kg of CO2 per kilogram of food rescued across production, transportation, and storage processes.

Social Impact:

• Strengthened corporate social responsibility (CSR) by embedding OECD Good Governance values into strategies.
• Supported charitable initiatives, connecting surplus food with NGOs and communities in need, addressing food insecurity in Bulgaria.

Economic Impact:

• Boosted business competitiveness and growth for Opi Foods Ltd. through an innovative service model.
• Created new employment opportunities and expanded a collaborative network of HORECA businesses, NGOs, and end-users.

Beneficiaries:

• HORECA Businesses: Streamlined food donation processes, reduced waste disposal costs, and enhanced CSR profiles.
• End-Users: Access to affordable, high-quality meals through discounted "surprise boxes."
• NGOs and Charities: Improved access to food donations for serving vulnerable populations.
• The Environment: Lowered greenhouse gas emissions and mitigated climate change impacts.
• Opi Foods Ltd.: Strengthened market position and sustainable growth through innovation.

By reducing food waste, fostering sustainability, and supporting communities, the project showcased a scalable, impactful solution to global challenges while driving local development.