Tackling the Food Waste Problem: From Ugly Veggies to Edible Beer Cans
*By Carlo Versano*
The issue of food waste has the distinction of being a massive sustainability problem, the solution to a worldwide humanitarian crisis, and a dilemma that is eminently fixable. As part of Cheddar's The Future of Food special report, we spoke to two companies at the opposite end of the spectrum ー one a huge multinational conglomerate, the other a Philadelphia-based start-up ー trying to innovate their way out of a $1 trillion problem.
Misfits Market is a meal delivery kit that ships "ugly" produce to your door for up to 50 percent less than what you'd pay at the grocery store.
CEO Abhi Ramesh conceived the idea after hearing the statistics about food waste in America: 100 billion pounds a year, or about 1.5 pounds per person per day, gets tossed, adding up to $1 trillion in waste.
"The numbers are staggering," he told Cheddar.
His idea? Buy up the ugly, misshapen, aesthetically unpleasant produce that isn't being sold on store shelves, and ship it to people's doorsteps. For $19 a week, Misfits will send you a box of veggies that will feed two people for a week; $34 a week will feed a family of four or five.
"We have these stringent beauty standards when it comes to food and produce," Ramesh said. But in most cases, just because a carrot is too fat or a pear is discolored, doesn't mean there is anything actually wrong with them.
Misfits Market leverages social media ー what's most Instagrammable than a really weird looking squash? ー to spread its message around in shareable bits, and uses biodegradable packaging to ship its boxes (right now only in the Northeast, but soon to expand, Ramesh said).
Decreasing our personal food waste is "probably the most important thing that we as consumers, day-to-day, can do," Ramesh said.
At scale, the issue is more complex. That's why Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD), the world's largest brewer, sought help from the outside when it launched its 100+ Accelerator earlier this year to help it become more sustainable in four areas: water use, agricultural technology, packaging, and renewable energy.
Maisie Devine, the accelerator's director, told Cheddar that AB Inbev considers issues of environmental impact as core to its business, but that it wanted to solicit ideas from outside the company to help it come up with actionable plans to achieve its 2025 sustainability goals.
"Sustainability is our business," she said. "Collective action here is key."
The company chose 21 ideas from a pool of over 600 applications, all tied to the four sectors it identified as critical to its business. Those ideas include ways to turn the byproducts of the brewing process, like grain and yeast, into plant-based proteins and baking flour, and at least one concept to make its packaging edible.
Whether or not we're eating our beer cans in the immediate future, the commitment to tackling waste in the food industry is coming from both the top level, at companies like AB Inbev, and from upstart disruptors, like Misfits Market. It signals a new reality: future food businesses need a sustainability roadmap.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/misfits-market-brings-ugly-produce-to-your-door-for-less).
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
