How Food Rescue Collaborative Helps Fix the Food Rescue System

We’ve identified three systemic problems that prevent greater efficacy in the food rescue system.

PROBLEM 1: Under-leveraged Food Rescue Capacity

There’s a mismatch between the food that is available to rescue and the ability of agencies to do so. In the last decade the amount of food donated has remained steady and the surplus food wasted has actually increased. Annually we now waste 10 million more tons of food than 10 years prior. Oftentimes, a donation is so time sensitive (e.g., nutritious fresh produce in danger of spoiling), or too complex to be handled by one agency alone. It is easier to arrange pick up and storage for shelf stable food (canned, aseptic packaging, processed). Many food rescue agencies lack suitable vehicles, drivers, storage space, dock facilities or volunteers to allow them to accept and process donations before the food spoils. This creates a problem of idle assets that cost money for these agencies to maintain. These obstacles are the main reasons why we have not been able to increase the amount of food rescued over the past 10 years. 

PROBLEM 2: Lack of Simple, Effective, and Affordable Shared Communication Systems

Multiple agencies acting in silos creates gaps in service coverage, sometimes leaving communities without much-needed aid, while others receive a surplus. Agencies lack a central information hub that incorporates near-real time data from multiple agencies.  Specifically, this hub needs to provide real-time vehicle and pickup logistics, donation deadlines and requirements, and areas of unmet need. This tool also needs to be accessible to understaffed and under-resourced agencies. Few agencies can afford the expense of developing and maintaining a purpose-built system to address these needs.

PROBLEM 3: Redundant & Inefficient/Wasteful Logistics

Lack of communication among food rescue agencies results in agencies sending multiple vehicles instead of a coordinated pickup that would reduce pollution and highway traffic by saving fuel and time. By increasing the amount of nutritious surplus food that is distributed locally, we can shorten the food supply chain, put less food into landfills, and more food on people’s tables.

The FRC Fix

FRC believes that effective solutions to problems in the food supply system must include equity, collaboration, and inclusivity. Our first tool is FISH, an online Food Information Sharing Hub, that provides near real time data in a transparent format. In this way, agencies can both post or claim food online in a matter of minutes. FISH is “tracking while solving”, collecting data to see what type of food is rescued and where it is shipped - the start to creating more food equity. 

FISH fosters collaboration and coordination of shared assets in order to rescue more nutritious surplus food. Fish ensures all the relevant details are available to each agency from shelf life, to required pick up time, and eventual destination. Through more online collaboration we can make better use of idle assets such as cold storage and vehicles. FISH will Integrate routing app technology leverage on the ground neighborhood knowledge. This innovation will create more shared vehicle routes, match truck capacity and transportation resources for each food donation, and reduce redundant truck routes. A reformed local supply chain means fresher nutritious food with less negative impact on the environment.