ost of us forget that when we throw away leftovers in the dustbin there are several people who are starving. Wastage of food is a major concern and needs to be addressed on priority.
Seven organizations that are fighting against food waste are
- Boulder food rescue
This organization in the Boulder County in Colorado helps in fighting food waste by feeding the hungry and underprivileged. Every day, volunteers ride on their bicycles to collect surplus food from donors. This food is delivered to those organizations that provide food to the homeless, low-income, poor, elders etc. Collection and distribution of perishable foods quickly have made this programme a huge success. The organisation has managed to save almost 138,000 kg of food from being wasted.
- Last minute market
This project which originated in Bologna and is active in 40 Italian towns mainly focuses on collecting unsold food which would have been discarded by the shops and producers. This food is made available to charitable organisations and underprivileged people who need food. This organisation mainly focuses on 6 areas. These are food, harvest, seeds, catering, books and pharmacy.
- Culinary Misfits
Several supermarkets and stores reject vegetables and fruits even if they have a slight imperfection. Culinary Misfits in Germany accepts these vegetables and fruits which are rejected by stores for reasons that can be conveniently overlooked. If the vegetables and fruits are perfectly edible except for the little discolouration or drawback, then this catering team accepts them and prevents them from being wasted.
- D C Central Kitchen
This organisation aims at meal distribution and job training. Everyday almost 5000 meals are sent free of cost or at subsidised rates to NGOs, shelters for the homeless and transitional homes. Based in the USA, this organization collects the leftover food and converts it into meals for the needy. D C Central procures blemished produce from farms which would have been discarded. With the help of these additional ingredients they convert the leftovers into meals for the poor.
- Refood
Refood is the brainchild of New Westminster restaurateur DanisonBuan. The main aim of this program is to collect excess foods from the stores and markets. This collected food is then converted into healthy food by implementing innovative recipes. This food is then supplied to the needy through NGOs.
Refood has also partnered with Sainsbury and some of the food waste is being used to generate gas. According to a statement issued by Sainsbury, 10% of its national gas consumption is generated through this partnership. Refood makes use of a number of biological processes called anaerobic digestion in order to produce this gas.
- Rescuing leftover cuisine
This NGO is based in New York and operates in 12 cities. The organization mainly aims at preventing the wastage of edible leftover food. RLC works on food wastage solutions, delivering excess food to the needy, tax credit assistance, co-branding services etc. RLC identifies the homeless shelters, then zeros in on the hotels and companies in the area who can donate the leftover food which is made available to the needy. The organization is actively fighting issues like handling excess food and tackling food waste.
- Plan Zheroes
Plan Zheroes is an organization which is fighting food poverty in the UK. The organization works in close association with 400 businesses and 375 charities with the sole aim of filling starving stomachs. A business with surplus food needs to upload their information online. Charities in the area are notified and they can claim the food online and volunteers help in the transportation.
The noble task carried out by these organizations is helping fight food wastage in a big way. It is the relentless efforts of such organizations which is helping in saving tons of precious food from being wasted.