A company that innovates to combat food waste 

As a response to global food waste and its socio-environmental effects, the Latinamerican company Nilus acts as a community entity that aims to eradicate food insecurity and malnutrition through applying technology to fight global food waste.

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The company was born out of concern for vulnerable communities experiencing food insecurity and hunger, as well as the concern over the planet’s current environmental condition, according to co-founder and CEO, Ady Beitler. 

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Country manager, Alondra Antongiorgi, indicated that Nilus offers services to Mexico, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, and explained they work through an app by offering products, such as produce and canned food, that would otherwise be wasted at a low cost. 

 

The problem

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It is estimated that 931 million tons of food were wasted globally in 2019, which implies that approximately 17% of the world's total food production had gone to waste, as reported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2021 Food Waste Index Report. 

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The food currently lost or wasted in Latin America could feed 1,200 million people, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

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In the same manner, according to the UNEP report, eight to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be associated with food that is not consumed.  

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“Food waste accumulates in landfills and releases tons of methane (greenhouse gas), which is worse than carbon dioxide. That’s something Nilus is working on,” Antongiorgi explained.

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The country manager also indicated that, as the planet continues to face several threats, such as climate change, global warming due to emissions from food waste further impacts food security through the depletion of crop yields. 

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“Agriculture and crops are going to be affected, food yields will drop as a result of the crisis that the planet is passing, and food waste worsens it”, Antongiorgi expressed. 

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Moreover, Beitler indicated that one of the greatest challenges in eradicating food waste is that there are no incentives to recycle food or for people to collect residues and take them, for example, to community kitchens or food drives. 

 

How they do it and their impact

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The process for scavenging and rescuing products for the company’s app involves approaching local producers and distributors, where food that would otherwise be wasted are assessed for nutritional value, according to the country manager.

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“We (Nilus) evaluate whether we should take it (the food) or not by checking why it’s being given away, when it will exactly perish, and ways to preserve it”, Antongiorgi indicated. “If they (the producers and distributors) donate to us, we donate as well. If they sell to us, we sell as well,” she added, in regards to the bargaining and economic aspect of Nilus. 

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According to the country manager, as the company purposely works with local producers and distributors and rescues food residues in order to reduce their carbon footprint, Nilus measures their emission contribution and exposes the impact of the reduced carbon emissions of every product whenever a customer makes an order through their app.

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Antongiorgi indicated that the company also aims to be accessible by going to communities and delivering nutritional food boxes to families, and, at the same time, seek to optimize the nutritional value of their products by including brochures with custom recipes. 

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However, the company, which has collaborated with entities such as the Clinton Foundation, the World Center Kitchen, Harvard University, and Marriott International, is always working on new strategies to adapt and progress. An example of this has been the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the country manager. 

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“One of the challenges we (Nilus) faced, and continue to face, was the interaction with producers and distributors during the delivery process of the food boxes because contact between people was limited for safety reasons,” Antongiorgi expressed. 

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However, the country manager emphasized that the greatest challenge Nilus faces is the lack of education and awareness about food waste and its effects on society and the environment. 

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Notwithstanding, according to the company’s statement of trust, Nilus has achieved to carry out 1,500 trips to communities, provide for 1,800 community kitchens, provide to 130,000 beneficiaries, and has curbed 2.250 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, while guaranteeing traceability and meeting with seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).