Why are we (still) wasting food?

We are happy to present the following guest post by Marc Zornes, Founder of Winnow Solutions. The Winnow System is a smart meter that helps chefs cut their food waste in half.

Food waste is a massive global problem and it has received more and more attention during recent years. The figures are shattering. UNFAO estimates that one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. This amounts to roughly 1.3 billion tons of food. The retail equivalent of this is $1 trillion worth of food each year, which is 1% of the global output. These numbers indicate that there is an urgent need for action on food waste and the problem is huge.

But there is another way to look at it. Start thinking about food waste as an opportunity rather than as a problem. Turn these numbers around and see it as a $1 trillion continuously growing market rather than a $1 trillion problem.

Some entrepreneurs have already understood the huge opportunity lying in food we throw away. During the past years new businesses started to storm the food waste scene. Turning food waste into treasure is not easy but they are successfully making enterprises out of converting it to compost, animal feed, biogas, renewable energy or organic fertilizers. Their activity does not only increase food security, but is also beneficial for the environment and even better for their bottom line. As part of the first ever London Food Tech Week in October, TEDxHackney gathered a range of entrepreneurs who shared their stories and inspired action to change the future of food. As founder of Winnow, I was among the speakers to share the story of my involvement in the world of food tech, food waste and how we came up with the business idea of founding Winnow to help the hospitality sector cut food waste in half by using technology.

We believe that there are incredible challenges and opportunities lying in food waste. For an entrepreneur approaching a $1 trillion market, food waste is like a modern day gold rush.

Food is lost in every part of the food chain all around the world. In developing countries food gets wasted due to inefficient processing, inadequate storage and lack of suitable infrastructure. In the developed world perfectly good food gets dumped because it does not meet standards of perfect shape and consumers are encouraged to buy more food than they need, failing to plan their food purchases.

We encourage entrepreneurs who care about food to find a spot in the supply chain that they are passionate about and build something to help solve the food waste issue. There are tons of opportunities for new businesses to spring up along the food waste system. It takes investment and time but the potential economic, environmental and social benefits are huge. This is not just a trend, it is a growing movement. Join it!

About Winnow

The Winnow System is a smart meter that helps chefs cut their food waste in half, dramatically improving their profitability.

Kitchens can waste as much on food waste as they make in net profits. Tackling food waste with Winnow can help you increase food gross margins by 2-6 percentage points. To date Winnow has saved its customers over £2 m by reducing the amount of their food waste.

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