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Spotted: Around 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year while as many as 829 million people go hungry. Against this backdrop, the three founders of e-commerce platform Motatos knew they could make a difference by rescuing edible food that would otherwise end up in the bin. The online grocery store sells long-life or shelf-stable items including pasta, tins, dried fruit, drinks, sweets, health products, and more.  

By working with suppliers who would otherwise discard the items—largely because they passed the best before date—Motatos passes significant price savings onto consumers. Part of the company’s purpose is to educate consumers about the need to use personal judgement to decide if a food is safe to eat or not, rather than depending on a date set by manufacturers.

With the cost of living rising in many places, this could be a particularly opportune time for shoppers to discover an environmentally friendly way to buy groceries. Other reasons that the food on Motatos is discarded by retailers include wonky or damaged packaging, misprints on the packaging, or the product simply being out of season. The company offers free delivery in the UK for orders over £40, and the platform itself is available in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Germany.

Other innovations helping to reduce food waste include an algorithm that monitors the amount of food commercial kitchens put in the bin and an antimicrobial plant-based coating to replace plastic food wrap.  

Written by: Keely Khoury