‘It’s a win-win’: The app helping restaurants and consumers tackle food waste

Born out of failure, Karma’s ultimate mission is to build the first ‘zero food waste generation’ by offering a unique approach to takeaways, writes Zlata Rodionova

As COO of Karma, Elsa Bernadotte has helped restaurants serve more than 2 million surplus meals (Photography by Karma)

It is estimated that 1.3 billion tons of food is thrown out or wasted every year across the world. This amounts to one-third of all food produced globally, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Of course, wasting food is also hurting the environment. Not only due to products filling up landfill sites, but also in the energy wasted producing food that is later thrown away. If food waste was a country, it’s estimated that it would be ranked third after the US and China in terms of greenhouse gas production.

That’s where businesses like Karma step in. The platform helps restaurants and grocery stores to sell food that is at risk of being thrown away towards the end of the day.