RTÉ reporter Maura Fay joined Today with David McCullagh on RTÉ Radio 1 to discuss food waste apps and how they could save users money when it comes to grocery bills. Listen back above.
With rising food costs, Irish households are beginning to rethink their shopping habits, leading many to turn to food waste apps.
Before looking at the businesses being used, though, Maura explained that - when you factor in supply chain losses and consumer waste - approximately a third of the world's food production is never eaten.
"According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food waste costs the Irish household about €60 per month or €700 per year," she says.
In response to this, user-facing initiatives have begun springing up, the most famous being Too Good To Go.
"Generally, what users get from that app are surprise bags of unsold food from cafés, restaurants, or shops. Users buy them at a reduced price and collect them within a set time."
According to Sales Manager Michaela O'Leary, Too Good To Go works with about 3,000 partners across the country, ranging from national retailers like Aldi, Supervalu, Centra, and Circle K, to local cafés and coffee shops.
"Unfortunately, food waste is a problem that every business faces," Michaela told Maura, explaining that, because the food is close to expiring, it's usually sold for a third of the full retail value.
Olio, another food waste app, offers surplus food that is free to collect from businesses.
"People can volunteer, using the app as 'food waste heroes', and visit their local supermarket to collect the surplus food. Olio say they give training to these volunteers in food safety. The volunteers then upload details of what food is available to the app, and people then request it.
"Olio say that, generally, over 40% of listings are requested within the first hour of being posted, and about 80% of the food is picked up within 24 hours of listing."
An Irish company in this area is Food Cloud, a social enterprise that was founded in 2012. Unlike the others, it doesn't supply food directly to consumers but works with supermarkets and food producers to redirect surplus food to charities and community groups.
Bockety Box is another Irish offering, which sells boxes of Irish fruit and vegetables direct to Irish households. Founder Ali Daly told Maura that she works to use surplus food and 'wonky' produce (perfectly fine but perhaps the wrong size or shape for supermarkets) in her business.
"We take the produce that gets overlooked, just because of its shape or size, and we give it a place at the table," she told Maura.
To find out more about these apps, and the experience of those who have used them, listen back above.
