Food Waste Start-Ups Face Four Key Organizational Challenges

A number of companies have launched in recent years to tackle the staggering problem of fruit and vegetable produce that never reaches the consumer’s shopping cart because it is deemed below commercial grade. Cosmetically challenged produce nevertheless retains intrinsic value: it is edible, nutritious, and marketable, at least somewhere. Though still small, companies like Imperfect Produce, Hungry Harvest, Full Harvest, and the new iPhone app goMkt, are pursuing solutions to the problem of delivering edible discarded food to the needy. More such initiatives are likely to emerge in the coming years. According to a university professor, each of these businesses faces four challenges: schematizing of quality distinctions to allow useful pricing; creating an efficient distribution system; nailing down liability issues when produce deteriorates prior to delivery; and ensuring profitability.  [ Image credit: © Hungry Harvest  ]