Throw No More prevents food waste at grocery stores

Late one night, a hungry Falch Stokke stopped into a petrol station in Norway. He spied some sausages, but the grill had already closed. When he asked for one, he was told that they had to be thrown away. “I thought this was so wrong. Right then I knew I had to find a solution,” he explains.

Food waste is a massive problem around the world. “Each year 40 per cent of all the food grown is wasted,” explains Matt Homewood, the company’s Head of Sustainability. “The negative impact on the economy, human health, climate change and the environment is undeniable.”

Throw No More is a digital tool for advertising fresh food headed for the rubbish bin. The concept is straightforward:

Food retailers are connected to the Throw No More app through a price reduction system. Every time a retailer registers a discounted item, the item automatically appears in the app, which consumers can check on their smartphones.

In this way, retailers can sell food at risk of being discarded for various reasons such as short expiry dates. Consumers can then pick up good deals at their local grocery store.

The app is being developed into a complete system, including web-based dashboards, APIs and integration with point of sales (POS). The company is also creating its own price reduction solution for grocery stores to replace cumbersome manual systems.

“Our solution improves the financial picture of food retailers and consumers. At the same time, the environment scores a win from reduced food waste,” says Falch Stokke.

“Since its introduction, the app has reduced food waste in Norwegian grocery stores by 30 to 50 per cent. When our solution is fully implemented, it will reduce food waste by 75 per cent or more,” he adds.

Less food waste means lower greenhouse gas emissions, as only a fraction of the total energy used to grow and market the food is recovered through disposal methods like incineration and anaerobic digestion. Meanwhile, rotting food in landfills releases carbon intensive methane gas.

Crucially, the app turns potentially wasted inventory into sales revenue for brick-and-mortar food retailers, while increasing footfall. In addition to saving money on groceries, consumers have the possibility of exploring where the discounted food products are located in nearby stores.

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy sets out food waste reduction targets, putting pressure on the food industry to take action. “European countries are giving tax incentives and imposing fines to reduce food waste,” explains Homewood.

Launched in 2019, the Throw No More app is now used by some 600 grocery stores and 140 000 consumers.

The company has signed an agreement with Norgesgruppen, the largest retailer in the Norwegian grocery retail market. It has expanded into continental Europe, and plans to enter the US and UK markets.

“With rising food prices and more focus on sustainability, we believe in the global potential of Throw No More,” concludes Falch Stokke.