Mayo firm receives €100,000 boost to reduce food waste

Mayo company Foodie Save has received a government funding boost of €100,000 for the development of a mobile application (app) to reduce food waste

The Castlebar-based firm's app will allow businesses in the commercial food sector to sell their unsold surplus food at the end of their business day - thereby reducing food waste.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced the allocation under the Rural Innovation and Development Fund for initiatives aimed at reducing food waste generated by food businesses, retailer, wholesalers and suppliers in rural areas.

The food waste project will further enhance the work previously undertaken to identify, target and address what is a rapidly growing issue not just here in Ireland but globally.

Ireland generates over one million tonnes of food waste each year.

Consequently, it is now more important than ever to continue to develop initiatives to help to address this issue.

The Foodie Save mobile app will be ready for downloading at the end of the month and will be officially launched in early August.

The app allows members of the public to purchase perfectly good unsold surplus food from food retailers at a discounted rate of up to 65%.

The founder and CEO of Foodie Save, Castlebar man Eoin Heverin, welcomes businesses in the food service industry to get in touch with him.

He stated: “I know how much work goes into preparing the food that is sold in restaurants, hotels, cafés, delis and supermarkets.

“But I also know how frustrating it is when some of that great food has to be thrown out at the end of the business day.

“Foodie Save sells the surplus unsold food that these businesses usually have to discard of at the end of their business day - earning their business a new revenue stream while also reducing their refuse costs.

“There are no catches, no contract, no sign-up fee. We simply take a percentage of the sales.

“Our current partners love the simplicity of this model and we are proud to have some fantastic brands on board, including SuperValu, Donnybrook Fair, The Art Of Coffee, Chopped, Londis, Maxol and approximately 20 local businesses are partnered up for the launch.”

One third of the world’s food production is wasted every year. It contributes to about 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

Foodie Save’s targets the perfectly edible and delicious portion of this food and sells it via their app to its customers.

This has a direct and positive impact on the environment, which is another big draw for businesses to partner up with them.

The app will also increase footfall instore for retail partners.

SUPPORT OF CASTLEBAR TIDY TOWNS

Castlebar Tidy Towns has thrown its full support behind the Foodie Save app.

Chairman Alan Mee, speaking on behalf of the committee, said: “As a gold medal-winning town in the annual Tidy Towns competition, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage people and businesses.

“We are delighted to be on board with Foodie Save to support this business and concept which will deliver real benefits for local businesses, the community and the environment.

"We are proud to have Castlebar Tidy Town's name associated with it.

“In 2014, the total available marks for the SWRM (Sustainable Waste and Resource Management) category of the National Tidy Towns competition increased from 20 to 50 marks and waste reduction is high on the list of needs to be addressed.

"Foodie Save will reduce the amount of waste food that businesses in Castlebar and Mayo produce and put Castlebar on the map as the first town in Ireland to tackle food waste in this collaborative and innovative way.

“Most importantly, the app will allow us to measure the amount of food waste that we as a town prevent.

"Foodie Save will provide valuable data on food waste and allow us to establish and track smart goals, so as a community we can gain year on year improvements.”

Eoin Heverin has thanked Castlebar Tidy Towns for its backing.

He said: “We are delighted with the fantastic support shown to us from the Castlebar Tidy Towns and are really looking forward to the collaboration.”

The email address for Foodie Save, which is based at Humbert Mall, Castlebar, is info@foodiesave.com

* Pictured is Eoin Heverin (centre), founder and CEO of Foodie Save, with two of his colleagues and they prepare for the launch of the mobile app.