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The volume of consumable food that is thrown away in Europe is massive and amounts to billions of euros per day. And hence, many farmers, entrepreneurs, and innovators are developing a blueprint to build a zero-food-waste society.
1.3 billion tonnes per year
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes per year.
Are there any entrepreneurs who combat the problem of food waste?
Well, at present, there are lots of startups/companies who have built their businesses around combating food waste and making the most of it. In this regard, one of them is — ‘Too Good To Go‘ — a Copenhagen-based startup founded with the aim to reduce pollution through food waste, which is responsible for 8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
Acquired Spanish app to double down the process!
In a bid to double down its process, the Danish startup has now acquired weSAVEeat, a Spanish app working to prevent food waste in Barcelona and Madrid by partnering with hundreds of establishments. With this acquisition, weSAVEeat has merged into one with the Too Good To Go, which means the former is no longer available!
While the Danish startup is gaining a lot of popularity, with that in mind, we have jotted down 5 exciting things you would be interested to know about Too Good To Go.
#1 Saved 20 million meals!
Founded by Mette Lykke, the company has saved 20 million meals since its inception in 2016. This is a clear win-win situation for everyone! How? The consumer gets good food at a discounted price, the partner restaurant makes a profit on the food they would have otherwise thrown out, and everyone is helping the environment to fight food waste. To date, the company has raised €10.3M funding in 2 rounds.
#2 Co-founded fitness app Endomondo
For the uninitiated, Mette Lykke co-founded the fitness app Endomondo in 2007. She developed the company for almost a decade before it was sold to the U.S. athleticwear brand Under Armour in 2015 for $85 million.
#3 20 million users, 25,000 stores,12 countries
At present, the app has 20 million users and works with 25,000 stores across 12 countries. The app is free for everyone to use, and it connects customers to restaurants and stores that have unsold, surplus food. The company takes a percentage of every meal sold through the app. According to Lykke, Too Good To Go is more of a service to make an impact on the food waste issue.
#4 Educational materials
Too Good To Go is on a mission to empower everyone to take action against food waste. In this process, the startup has allocated a dedicated team for making food-waste -based educational content to educate consumers and changing the mindset to reduce food waste at home. Notably, schools can use the material for free.
#5 Road ahead!
Last week, Copenhagen headquartered startup launched its operation in Austria and has plans to enter Portuguese markets as well. Moreover, the food-saving platform is looking to expand its workforce to 550 by 2020 from 350 across Europe.
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.
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