Summary

EatCloud is a triple impact startup that helps the food ecosystem to redistribute unsold food to reduce food waste and fight hunger on a large scale, developing a data-driven business model. Using AI, EatCloud’s digital platform connects the food ecosystem with food bank networks and social organizations serving vulnerable populations, safely and efficiently, acting as a bridge between unsold food and those in need, generating significant economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Background and Objective

EatCloud addresses two co-existing and pressing problems:  food waste and hunger. Annually, 2500 million tons of food, equivalent to 40% of all the food produced, are wasted worldwide, while 1 in 9 people go to bed hungry. Food waste is a problem of unprecedented economic, social, and environmental impacts. The economic loss from this global issue amounts to approximately 2.6 trillion dollars a year, produces 10% of the world’s total greenhouse gases, results in a carbon footprint twice the emissions of all US ground transportation, and a water footprint almost four times the total US consumption. In Latin America, over 127 million tons of food are lost or wasted each year; it would be enough to satisfy the dietary requirements of 300 million people. In Colombia, 9.7 million tons of food are wasted yearly to feed 8 million people for a whole year. In contrast, the situation of food insecurity in Colombia is critical: 54% of households lived in food insecurity, 10.8% of children under five years of age had chronic malnutrition, and 1.6% had acute malnutrition. EatCloud’s goals are to eliminate world hunger, eliminate food waste, and reduce the carbon footprint of the food ecosystem.

Actions and Implementation

The actions undertaken by EatCloud include:

Platform Development: EatCloud developed a user-friendly platform in collaboration with industry stakeholders and the Colombian Association of Food Banks (ABACO). This platform facilitates the management of unsold food by connecting the food ecosystem.

Expanding Donor Base: EatCloud successfully supported different food banks in increasing their donor base. By doing so, they ensure a steady supply of surplus food available for redistribution.

Ensuring Food Safety and Traceability: EatCloud’s platform offers security and traceability for received food items. This ensures that the food is safe for consumption and can be efficiently tracked throughout the distribution process.

Real-Time Analytical Data: The platform generates real-time analytical data. This data becomes a valuable resource for the food ecosystem, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions and optimize food distribution.

Building Trust: By providing transparency, safety, and efficiency, EatCloud builds trust among donors, food banks, and vulnerable populations. This trust is essential for the success of their mission.

Outcomes and Impacts

So far, EatCloud has saved more than 40,000 tons of food, equivalent to more than 90 million meals served to those in need. Additionally, they have mitigated over 85.000 kilograms of CO2 and saved more than 40 million dollars for the food industry.

By preventing food waste, EatCloud conserved over 23,568,353,836 liters of water. Despite the significant impacts achieved EatCloud has recovered 4% of the discarded food in Colombia.

Sustainability and Scalability

Since the launch of EatCloud, the initiative has bridged the gap between the food ecosystem and food banks. These food banks are the primary recipients of donated food and are well-organized in most countries. Through trial and error, it became clear that the approach must address the needs of both food banks and food donors. This understanding led to the development of a platform that caters to these stakeholders, creating a state-of-the-art solution for food redistribution and rescue that benefits everyone. The initiative is easily replicable but requires integration of this ecosystem. With support from industry players and the social sector, local governments have been found to act as facilitators The initial pilot is already underway in Medellín, with aims to replicate it across Colombia and beyond.

Gender and Social Inclusivity

Our initiative generates benefits without any distinction or discrimination. We aim to ensure that food reaches those who need it most, regardless of age, gender, race, identity, or ideology. Food banks and foundations are responsible for delivering food to those in need, and they have worked to understand the needs of different communities and populations. Artificial intelligence (AI) also plays an essential role by preventing biases when allocating donations.

Innovative Initiative

EatCloud, innovates traditional food donation processes by using advanced technologies to decentralize and democratize donations. Historically, food donations were centralized in food banks, which managed the rescue and redistribution of food. Instead, EatCloud connects social organizations, including food banks, directly with points of sale, production plants and distribution centers where surplus food is generated. This AI-assisted matching streamlines harvesting, increases utilization rates, and extends product shelf life by ensuring immediate food rescue. Additionally, we provide real-time big data analytics, making EatCloud a powerful decision-making tool. The platform helps the food industry reduce waste and understand the logistical, economic, social and environmental impacts of operations through more than 200 high-value KPIs. The business model generates profits from platform licenses rather than food sales.

Resources devoted to delivery

EatCloud has raised over 1.5 million dollars through investment capital, grants, and loans. These funds have been invested in the technological development of the platform and the building of a dedicated  team to deliver on the value  proposition and support the  expansion of the initiative across Colombia and globally.

Conclusion

EatCloud’s goal is to tackle two critical issues: food waste and hunger.

Annually, 2.5 billion tons of food - 40% of all food produced- is wasted globally, while 1 in 9 people go to bed hungry. Food waste has unprecedented economic, social, and environmental impacts, costing the industry more than $2.6 trillion a year and generating 8% of greenhouse gases.

EatCloud was created to address this, offering a winning model that reduces food waste and redistributes it to those in need, thereby efficiently combating world hunger.

The platform also generates analytical data to optimize various food industry processes. To date, EatCloud has helped the food industry save more than $40 million, rescued more than 40,000 tons of food, generated more than 90 million dishes served, and mitigating more than 85,000 kilograms of CO2.