Student food waste start-up KnoWaste wins £10k
Four Bristol University students have developed an app called KnoWaste that aims to reduce food waste in the education sector by 50%.
Did you know?
UK schools, colleges and universities throw away 150M tonnes of food each year, at a cost of around £250M.
The new app works by asking students to choose their meals one week in advance. This means caterers no longer need to over-order produce which they later end up wasting.
A winning idea
The developers have calculated that this simple change could reduce a school/institutions overall costs by 6%.
The students, Sophie Elliott, Edward Stratton, Charlie Royle and Kesta Kemp won £10,000 from the University of Bristol’s Runway Entrepreneurship Competition to spend on turning their innovative business idea into a real business.
Another feature of KnoWaste is that it shows students the environmental impact of each meal, allowing them to make more informed decisions.
The start-up call themselves a SaaS based pre-order system and educational platform that cuts household food waste by up to 50% saving consumers 11p per meal all whilst improving the dining experience.
Three types of waste
KnoWaste say there are three types of waste at university catered halls.
- Plate waste – food that isn’t eaten at the end of a meal and typically accounts for up to 25% of total food waste
- Overproduction – the excess food produced for a catering service and typically accounts for 35-45% of total food waste
- Spoilage – the food that doesn’t end up being used during the production process and typically accounts for 8% of total food waste
They say it increases diners’ satisfaction and creates more waste-conscious students.
Find out more: www.knowaste.co
Are you a student or graduate interested in a career in food? Find out more at Food Matters Careers Week.
