This is the pressing issue being addressed by Espigoladors, a Catalonia-based association that has taken a social business approach to food waste.
The challenge — and the solution
According to Espigoladors, the problem with food waste is three-tiered, and any solution must address the social, environmental, and economic importance of battling this common issue.
One of the main causes of food waste happens before it even reaches our plates: it is the fruit and vegetables that are deemed unfit to sell because of aesthetic reasons such as an odd shape or blemish. Often times shops or restaurants discard these overripe, imperfect fruits and vegetables, leaving their value uneaten. To combat this, Espigoladors collects the unwanted food, donating 95% of what they gather to social institutions that distribute it to people who have a difficult time accessing fresh and healthy food. Not only gathering the food from shops and grocery stores, Espigoladors also collects surplus crops from local farmers.
The remaining 5% is transformed into natural and handmade preserves which are sold and marketed under the brand name Es Im-perfect (it is im-perfect). Along the way, Espigoladors engages with people who are usually excluded from conversations related to food security, creating a more inclusive and healthy society as a whole.
