The Problem

Food Waste, Food Insecurity & Climate Change

Food Waste

Up to 40% of food produced is wasted.

Food waste is the single largest component of municipal landfills. Many people affected by hunger and poverty live in food deserts and often lack adequate transportation and enough hours in the day to access traditional food pantries.

Food Rescue Hero combine technology, last-mile logistics and community engagement to create a new food recovery and redistribution network that effectively delivers fresh and highly perishable food directly to those who need it most. At scale, Food Rescue Hero has the potential to be one of the most disruptive innovations to reduce food waste and hunger.

Fight food waste from home

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Between 20% and 50% of food is waste at home.

Food Insecurity

1 in 8 Americans is experiencing food insecurity.

That's 43 million people.

Food security – or consistent and reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food – is a human right. Yet 1 in 8 Americans experiences food insecurity every year. When people don’t have enough to eat, or don’t have access to the right things to eat, it affects every aspect of life: health, education, employment, family & more.

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There are a multitude of barriers preventing individuals and families from being able to access the nutrition they need:

Income

Job loss, difficulty getting a job, disabilities, and low pay can all impact someone's ability to afford food.

Cost of Living

With rising costs to housing, groceries, healthcare, utilities, daycare, and other necessities, families often have less money to spend on food.

Location

Some areas of the country are defined as food deserts, or areas that lack sufficient access to affordable and/or high-quality food for the number of people who reside there. There are also areas that lack public transportation or safe walkways for people to use in order to access food retailers.

Time

For many individuals, simply isn't enough time to invest in seeking out affordable, nutritious food. Between working enough to pay for rent and other necessities, picking children up from school/childcare, and keeping a household running, some people don't have the assistance of a good-paying job (to only have to work one job) or another adult family member (partner, parent, grandparent, etc.) to assist in supporting the family.

Climate Change

The United Nations released a report in April of 2022 that it’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming. Food waste is the largest component in municipal landfills and is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Of the 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, reducing food waste has the third-largest impact on climate change (Project Drawdown).

Food waste is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions (FAO), a major contributor to climate change. Food production uses 10% of the energy budget, 50% of the land and 80% of all freshwater consumed in the United States. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 97% of food waste generated ends up in a landfill and food is the number one material in landfills.

If food loss and waste were its own country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, third only to China and the US. (FAO)

”“Most of us generate more planet-warming emissions from eating than we do from driving or flying. Food production now accounts for about a fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions annually, which means that agriculture contributes more than any other sector, including energy and transportation, to climate change.”
Amanda LittleAuthor of The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World

Resources:

FAO Food Wastage Footprint (PDF)

The Solution: Food Rescue

Retail Surplus Logistics Challenge

Retailers generate 10.5M tons of surplus food, nearly 35% of which goes to landfill or is incinerated as waste. Most comes from produce (32.6%), dairy & eggs (29.3%), and dry goods (14.8%), and nearly half is caused by concerns or confusion over freshness date labels. (ReFed)

Recovering food surplus at retail requires a logistics process that can address food that is in relatively small quantities (not enough to load a truck), have a limited shelf life, must be used right away (mostly fresh food), and is typically non-standard on a daily basis (variable items and quantities). Because there is no established market mechanism to sell this type of surplus, the logistics process must also be extraordinarily cost-effective. Tradition truck-warehouse models do not work and are not cost-effective.

The Food Rescue Hero logistics model addresses the very specific needs of retail food rescue.

The Problem

Food Waste, Food Insecurity & Climate Change

Food Waste

Up to 40% of food produced is wasted.

Fight food waste from home

Resources:

Food Insecurity

1 in 8 Americans is experiencing food insecurity.

That's 43 million people.

Resources:

Income

Cost of Living

Location

Time

Climate Change

Resources:

The Solution: Food Rescue

Retail Surplus Logistics Challenge

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contact@foodrescuehero.org

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