Passing the plate: Tackling food waste and food insecurity across our local brands

October 16th marks World Food Day. A day to celebrate the amazing food we eat, but also a time to remember that more action is needed on the global issue of food waste and hunger. An international initiative by the United Nations, World Food Day is a reminder that food insecurity continues to affect over three billion people around the world. With food at the heart of our business, Delivery Hero is committed to making a positive impact on the fight against hunger and food waste. For this edition of Local Hero Stories, we wanted to focus on three initiatives that are working to help eliminate issues surrounding a lack of food. We will be looking at Nilus, a food waste program from PedidosYa, a milestone in Delivery Hero’s partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme ShareTheMeal, and Delivery Hero’s annual volunteering initiative, Hero Month.

One year of Share the Meal

Delivery Hero is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme and the integration of the ShareTheMeal feature onto its foodora and foodpanda platform. Currently, talabat also offers a meal donation program on its platform through the World Food Program separate from ShareTheMeal.
ShareTheMeal is an initiative founded by the United Nations to encourage people around the world to donate a meal with a simple click on their phone.
This initiative has already been launched across several Delivery Hero markets, including a recent launch of the feature with foodpanda in Germany. The ShareTheMeal feature is seamlessly integrated into the delivery apps: When customers are waiting for their food to be delivered, they can select the option to donate and Share a Meal. Whilst the feature is available across several markets already, it is just getting started in Germany. Leading up to World Food Day, foodpanda will be matching all donations made through ShareTheMeal. Sharing a meal with those in need has never been easier.

Our annual volunteering initiative: Hero Month

Once a year, Delivery Hero engages in a month-long initiative encouraging its Heroes to actively contribute to making their environment a better place. This initiative is called Hero Month and starts yearly in early October. Last year, Hero Month was filled with unique challenges due to the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown (Read: https://www.deliveryhero.com/blog/hero-month-2020 ), however, this year’s Hero Month will offer more in-person events again, embracing a hybrid model of in-person and virtual volunteering opportunities. There are a number of volunteering opportunities that all employees at Delivery Hero are supported to take part in. Delivery Hero’s collaboration with Vostel, a local Berlin-based social enterprise, additionally supplements the variety of activities. Partnering with local organizations gives Delivery Hero the chance to further strengthen its ties to the community on a personal level. The activities range from sorting food at local food kitchens to clothes collection to crafting at retirement homes, there is an activity for everyone. 

Saving food with Nilus

PedidosYa recently launched its partnership with Nilus in Argentina. Nilus is a company dedicated to eliminating food insecurity. Through this partnership, PedidosYa is contributing to combating food waste. Every year 30% of all fruit and vegetables worldwide are discarded, either due to aesthetic reasons or because of inefficient production management. Nilus has developed the technology to rescue and redistribute the food so as not to let it go to waste. Customers can order a four-kilogram box of rescued fruits and vegetables via the PedidosYa app. For every box that is purchased, a meal will be donated to a soup kitchen. Although currently only available in Argentina PedidosYa are looking to expand their partnership with Nilus throughout Latin America. (read: https://medium.com/pedidosyalatam/pedidosya-y-nilus-se-unen-por-las-compras-conscientes-f51ba79576b1)

Giving back to the communities around us is part of Delivery Hero’s overall mission and one of the core values that unite the company both globally and locally: We are Heroes because we care. Food is at the heart of what we do, and it is always nice to see how it can be used to help create a positive impact around the world.

If you want to read more of our local and global impact read our past Local Hero Stories (Read: https://www.deliveryhero.com/blog/kindness-and-social-responsibility/)