FoodCloud secures Enterprise Ireland R&D support to accelerate the impact of food redistribution and cut food waste at scale

• FoodCloud awarded €500,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund.
• Funding to drive target of an additional 15% increase in food rescued, an additional 8.25 million meals per annum by 2025.

FoodCloud, a tech-based social enterprise which redistributes food which would otherwise end up as waste, has been awarded more than €500,000 research and development (R&D) funding from Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund to further develop its innovative food redistribution platform, Foodiverse. FoodCloud will use this funding to drive its target of an additional 15% increase in food rescued and an additional 8.25 million meals per annum by 2025. The funding supports 14 jobs at FoodCloud.

Founded in 2013, FoodCloud’s tech platform connects retailers, food businesses and restaurants (including Aldi, Booker UK, Dunnes Stores, KFC, Lidl, Nandos, Tesco and Waitrose) that have surplus to food banks, community groups and charities that can use that food.

FoodCloud is working to reduce emissions across 5 markets in Ireland, Europe, and Africa, and is at the forefront of the circular economy in food systems in Ireland and globally. EI’s funding will strengthen FoodCloud’s core technology as the charity begins to deliver its solution in additional markets.

Enterprise Ireland’s R&D funding will enable FoodCloud to further develop its platform, Foodiverse, to maintain and grow its position as a leading tool for ESG reporting for new and existing domestic and international partners across all types for food business - retail, food service, primary processing, manufacturing and at farm level.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, TD, said,
“Reducing food loss and food waste is a key step in fighting climate change and in Ireland’s transition to a circular economy. The excellent team at FoodCloud have had a significant impact in tackling the twin issues of food waste and food insecurity to fight climate breakdown and poverty. Enterprise Ireland’s R&D funding will enable FoodCloud to further develop in its innovative food distribution platform, broaden its reach and deepen its impact.”

Jenny Melia, Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, said,
“Enterprise Ireland is investing in digital and climate resilience, and has backed FoodCloud since its early days. A leader in both digital innovation and the fight against climate change, as FoodCloud implements this research and development as part of its ambitious growth strategy, we are confident that the business will continue to accelerate impact and deliver tangible solutions to food businesses internationally.”

FoodCloud’s Head of Engineering James Clifford, said,
"This Enterprise Ireland Agile Innovation Fund grant marks a significant milestone for FoodCloud as we strive to accelerate the impact of food redistribution and cut food waste at scale through our Foodiverse technology. As of now, FoodCloud has redistributed more than 98,000 tonnes of surplus food through its technology platform and physical hubs, which amounts to 235 million meals and the reduction of more than 315,000 tonnes of CO2- equivalent.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

About FoodCloud

FoodCloud is a tech based, non-profit, social enterprise (Irish Charity of the Year, 2022). Our vision is for a world where no good food goes to waste and we are tackling the twin issues of food waste and food insecurity to fight climate breakdown and poverty.

Established in 2013, FoodCloud partners with retailers, food companies, non-profit organisations, government and the wider business community, to redistribute surplus food and help drive progress towards a circular economy for our food system.

FoodCloud has pioneered two food redistribution solutions to tackle the twin issues of food waste and food insecurity. Food hubs in Dublin, Cork and Galway coordinate donation and redistribution of larger volumes of surplus food, while tech platform, Foodiverse, can reach surplus food and the charities that need it in every corner of Ireland. FooCloud operates across five markets — Ireland, the UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Kenya. As of now, FoodCloud has redistributed more than [] tonnes of surplus food through its technology platform and physical hubs, that's over []. More than [] tonnes of Co2-equivalent have been avoided.

Food waste

• Our food system is responsible for 34% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Nature Food Study 2021). It is the second-biggest contributor to climate change after the energy industry and the single biggest contributor to biodiversity loss, deforestation, drought, freshwater pollution and the collapse of aquatic wildlife.
• Up to 40% of all food produced worldwide is wasted each year (Driven to Waste: Global Food Loss on Farms, WWF and Tesco, 2021).
• Of that 34% of global GHGs, it is now estimated that 8-10% are related to food waste (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation).

Food waste Ireland

• The Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Ireland generated 753,000 tonnes of food waste in 2021. (This figure does not include food that is ‘lost’ before it reaches the farm gate.)
• 29% of food waste comes from households, 29% comes from the processing and manufacturing sector, with the remainder coming from restaurants and food service 25%, primary production 7%, and retail and distribution 10%.
• The EPA estimates that the average Irish household can save around €700 per year by avoiding food waste.

Food insecurity

• The United Nations 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report estimated that the number of people affected by hunger in 2022 is as many as 735 million. It is projected that almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, pointing to the immense challenge of achieving the SDG target to eradicate hunger.
• In Ireland, the Department of Social Protection Working Group on Food Poverty Report 2021 found more than 1 in 11 people are now experiencing food poverty.
• 75% of FoodCloud’s charities are experiencing an increase in demand for food.