Preventing 262k tons of food waste in Catalonia: is it possible?

All the food wasted in Catalonia adds up to some 262,000 tons. Avoiding this is the ultimate goal for several new Catalan firms and organizations, behind pioneer projects to reuse the food that usually ends up in the trash. And now, they're asking for public financial aid to achieve this objective.

Almost half of the food at home (45%) is wasted, the same amount of the fruit and vegetables produced. Meanwhile, four out of ten kilos (39%) also end up thrown away in production factories. In restaurant businesses, up to 10% of the food remains unused.

Collecting surplus of harvests

But non-profit organizations such as Espigoladors are trying to cut these figures down among farmers.

From 2014 a group of volunteers has been collecting harvest surplus in several counties, and most of it is given to social organizations.

Then, some 5% of the food gathered is transformed into sauces, canned food, marmalade, and pâté.

Online supermarket with rejected food

Another Catalan organization called 'Soy comida perfecta' (or in English, 'I am perfect food'), has launched an online supermarket in order to sell products usually rejected by food businesses, those deemed 'not nice or appealing.'

"This is an opportunity that benefits us all: industry gets rid of this surplus, people can save money and we avoid harming the planet," has said the director of this project to the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

Reusing food wasted by restaurants

'We Save Eat' is another similar project, aiming to reuse the food restaurants reject. It's a mobile app that then sells these products at half the price, and they then give the money they make back to restaurants, keeping a commission for the service.

They work with some 150 shops, most of them in Barcelona. Not all businesses are on board, though: others reject working with them on the grounds that "they are efficient and they don't waste food," said a project collaborator.

Consulting firms on food and environmental footprint

The businesses dealing with food and concerned about their environmental footprint can contact either of these firms or also seek advice in consulting firms such as 'Te lo sirvo verde,' led by an expert on sustainable restaurant businesses Isabel Coderch.

"Food waste used to be a taboo but it has become an uncomfortable truth," she said to ACN.

Hopeful to get financial aid

Most of these initiatives are hoping to get financial aid soon, as for instance an official for 'We Save Eat' claims that they have never received any such help from the administration.

"We need subsidies, aids, alliances because otherwise, we'll run out of resources," he said.