FoodCloud

Exciting news from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland! Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 are the lowest in three decades! The EPA has released its provisional greenhouse gas emissions data for Ireland, showing a promising reduction of 6.8% compared to 2022, with emissions decreasing across almost all sectors. However, while these reductions are encouraging, we still have a long way to go. 2023 emissions are only 10.1% below 2005 levels, which is far from Ireland’s EU Effort Sharing reduction commitment of 42% by 2030. At FoodCloud, we are committed to playing our part in this journey. Reducing food waste not only helps feed those in need but also significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Let’s celebrate this progress and continue working together towards a more sustainable and greener future. #Sustainability #ClimateAction #GreenEnergy #FoodWasteReduction #Ireland #EPA #ClimateChange

Over one million meals wasted every day in Ireland. These are the latest EPA waste statistics for our little island. While more than 1 in 11 people here are food insecure and food waste contributes to 8-10% of emissions globally, every day we waste one million opportunities to feed people, take action against climate breakdown and make our food system more sustainable or circular. (By the way ... the 1 million meals? That's not even including farm level food loss!!) As Colum Gibson said at yesterday's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland food waste forum, just make a start! Measurement alone is an effective action, seeing in black in white what's being wasted will kick start the process of change. The Food Waste Charter includes an easy to use measurement toolkit. Fáilte Ireland Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board Bord Iascaigh Mhara - Ireland's Seafood Development Agency Restaurants Association of Ireland Enterprise Ireland Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications https://lnkd.in/eQr62zBB

The strong leadership and courage of Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler saw a historic day for the protection of nature and natural habitats on June 17th when the European Council adopted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL). This measure to protect and restore habitats and ecosystems will provide a major contribution to climate impact mitigation, increase and protect biodiversity and crucially enhance food security. In March 2024, even though the European Parliament had already agreed on the measures included in the NRL, a number of countries withdrew support at the last minute preventing an EU Council vote on adoption of the law and casting doubt over whether the law would garner enough support to be adopted. At the time Minister for the Environment, Eamon Ryan made an impassioned plea for member states not to abandon nature, stating “The destruction of nature is inextricably linked to climate change. This is not the time to hit the pause button,”. On June 17th, Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler heeded this call with an equally last-minute change of mind and moved to support the law, despite instructions to the contrary from her coalition partners in Vienna. Gewessler now faces threats of criminal proceedings and recriminations over her move to support the law, but the EU Council have confirmed that the vote will stand. The NRL is one strand of the EU’s Green Deal (a package of policy initiatives, which aims to set the EU on the path to a green transition, with the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050). This law is the first continent-wide, comprehensive law of its kind aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems, habitats and species in all member states. The law requires member states to establish and implement measures to jointly restore, as an EU target, at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030. Member states must submit national restoration plans, detailing how they will deliver on targets and must also monitor and report on their progress against agreed biodiversity indicators. Once the law is published in the EU’s Official Journal it will enter into force and will become directly applicable in all member states. Given recent changes to the makeup of the EU Parliament, this is a very important step forward for the EU Green Deal policy initiatives. There has been a reduction of approximately 20 seats in the green political voting block meaning that it may become increasingly difficult to progress outstanding measures under the Green Deal. European Commission #GreenDeal #NatureRestorationLaw Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action https://lnkd.in/eA7bW68N

We are delighted with the Tesco Central Europe announcement today at the European Food Banks Federation - FEBA annual conference around offering 10 of their suppliers a free 6-month trial with our tech-based food donation platform, Foodiverse. Since 2022, all Tesco stores across the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been using Foodiverse, playing a crucial role in matching unsold surplus food with those who need it every day and helping Tesco cut food waste across their own operations. Announcing the pilot, Ian Hutchins, Central Europe Communications Director at Tesco, noted that at this time and with a cost of living crisis, people are being forced to choose “between eating and heating.”

“When we don’t have data, we can’t have a circular world" Well said, Mirjam Karmiggelt of GS1 Greetings from Eindhoven where FoodCloud is attending Towards Halving Food Waste in Europe, a conference organised by Food Waste Free United (Stichting Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling) and partners. According to Karmiggelt, an optimal smart food technology should: Have demonstrable benefits in terms of reducing food waste ·      Be effective and reliable (no 'false negative', no adverse effect in terms of food safety) ·      Be clear and easily understandable by consumers ·      Be easy to apply to and use ·      Be compatible with inventory management systems ·      Be compatible with packaging recycling ·      Be cost effective, especially for SMEs ·      Be recognised in legislation and standards (Sounds like FoodCloud's food rescue platform Foodiverse!) Of note, GS1, the organisation that delivers barcode, has created a QR product passport that can contain detailed information on food source, best before date and batch, packaging, carbon footprint, recipes, certificates as well as ingredients. The conference shone a spotlight on many smart food technological solutions, as well as the importance of all types of collaboration and knowledge sharing, including pre-competitive collaboration by food businesses and public private partnerships that include government, business and academia, to tackle food loss and waste. Thank you Toine Timmermans and Food Waste Free United for a super day of learning!

In May, Sheena Forde, Mary Ellen Angland, and Niall M. from FoodCloud travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, to meet with the Food Banking Kenya (FBK) team to advance their joint virtual foodbanking technology project in Kenya, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland (DFA) and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN). FoodCloud’s food donation platform Foodiverse, which connects donors of surplus food with charities, was introduced in Kenya in November 2023. Since then, the Foodiverse app has had a significant impact and over 187 tonnes of surplus food —equivalent to over 813,000 meals—has been redistributed virtually providing food to people experiencing food insecurity, preventing food waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. During their trip, the FoodCloud team visited several key locations with the FBK team to witness the impact of the implementation of the Foodiverse app firsthand. At City Park Market, they observed a live donation of 350 kg of surplus fruits and vegetables to Mwamko Children Rescue and Integration Center, who support over 50 children. This market, bustling with over a thousand traders selling a variety of produce, provided an inspiring example of how surplus food can be shared with charities directly on the Foodiverse app to support local communities. The team also visited Phyma Fresh Produce Ltd, where they saw the seamless donation of over 200 kg of surplus vegetables to Christ the Hope Children’s Rescue Centre via Foodiverse, which supports nearly 100 children. This partnership has not only provided consistent food supplies but also reduced transport costs for the charity. Together, FoodCloud, FBK and GFN are making strides towards a sustainable, food-secure future. #FoodSecurity #Sustainability #Kenya #FoodRedistribution #Foodiverse #FoodCloud

We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Atlantic Technological University. This collaboration focuses on enhancing educational opportunities, reducing food waste, and supporting sustainable practices in food systems, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to support the sustainable transition of food systems and address key UN SDGs. FoodCloud and ATU are offering education and training programmes, including a Certificate in Sustainable Food Surplus Practice. The online format allows participants to earn a Level 6 qualification while maintaining full-time employment, facilitating career advancement. ATU’s extensive experience in delivering online programmes ensures students will receive the necessary support to succeed, even if returning to education after a long break. We look forward to the impactful work ahead! If you are interested in signing up for a free course visit https://bit.ly/3xjUfa7 #Sustainability #Education #FoodWaste #CommunityInitiatives #FoodCloud #ATU #Partnership #UNSDGs https://lnkd.in/dmw-cwc4

Thank you to Tesco Ireland, which has generously topped up its customer Easter Food Appeal donations by a further 20%. All of this much needed food was delivered to our Hubs in Dublin, Cork, and Galway, and is now making its way to community and voluntary groups across the country to support families and children. Big thanks to Tesco for their ongoing support of FoodCloud and our community partners! #Gratitude #CommunitySupport #TescoIreland

On World Environment Day 2024, we celebrate the renewal of our partnership with AIB for a further three years. This extension is critical in helping us achieve our vision of a world where no good food goes to waste, fostering resilient communities through the power of shared food. To mark this occasion, we have launched the AIB FoodCloud Community Meals Programme, which will increase FoodCloud’s social impact by offering a new meal provision service to our community partners and increase the amount of food we can rescue, reducing food waste within our operations. Through the next phase of our partnership, 2024 to 2026, we aim to provide an additional 200,000 community meals, preventing 100 tonnes of surplus food from going to waste. To celebrate the launch, we hosted a community cooking event at Dublin Richmond Barracks, bringing together members from our community partners, including WALK, Whitefriar Community Centre, St John Bosco Youth Centre, and Northside People, along with volunteer cooks from AIB, led by our head chef, Janice. The event was a wonderful opportunity to share skills, knowledge, and a delicious family-style feast. More importantly, it highlighted the power of coming together as a community to tackle food waste and support each other. As our principal funding partner since 2018, AIB's support has directly resulted in the redistribution of 12,000 tonnes of surplus food, the equivalent of 28.6 million meals. This would not be possible without the support of more than 2,000 AIB volunteers, giving over 11,100 volunteer hours. Our sincerest thanks to AIB for their ongoing support. We look forward to the next three years of impactful collaboration. #WorldEnvironmentDay2024 #GenerationRestoration #FoodCloud #Sustainability #FoodRescue #ZeroWaste #CommunityImpact Cian Corbett Jennifer Brady Carol McMahon Lara Coyle Barry Field Aoibheann O'Brien Iseult Ward

Thank you to Colin Gleeson for the article in today's The Irish Times highlighting the renewal of our partnership with AIB for another three years to deliver 200,000 community meals and prevent another 100 tonnes of food waste through our Community Meals Programme. https://lnkd.in/ewdYzKuQ