Greek app aims to tackle food waste

With every Greek throwing out nearly 100 kilograms of edibles every year – giving the country the fourth worst ranking for food waste in the European Union – a homegrown app seeks to promote a culture of greater sustainability.

Launched five months ago, FoodBag allows businesses like bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels, for example, to sell their surplus food – at a hefty discount – by advertising the fact on the app to consumers trying to reduce their shopping bill.

“We believe we’re giving a lot of professionals who end up with a certain amount of unsold product every day a new option and the possibility of at least recouping the cost of production,” FoodBag’s 39-year-old CEO Konstantinos Magkaniaris, who co-founded the company with Laura Kiriazopoulou, tells Kathimerini.

He adds that the app’s reach is still limited to Attica, yet it has already been downloaded by 6,500 users and has a network of around 80 businesses.