Food rescue in Berlin: Motatos fights against waste!

Food rescue in Berlin: Motatos fights against waste!

In Germany, around 11 million tons of food are thrown away annually, although many of them are still edible. The waste in large cities like Berlin is particularly high, where more and more people are looking for a solution to this pressing problem. The online supermarket Motatos, founded in Stockholm in 2014, specializes in offering saved foods in Germany and Austria. The products that are on its shelves often have expired best -preserving data or come with beauty makers. Many also come from overproduction. Dominique Ertl, the managing director of Motatos for the two countries, describes the company as an online shop for food that does not make it into traditional supermarkets. The delivery even takes place directly on the doorstep of the customer: inside.

The range includes a colorful mix of everyday foods and unusual products of smaller brands. However, the offer is not enough for a full weekly purchase, fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables are not enough. In the long term, Motatos has the goal of creating a world without a waste of food. Ertl emphasizes the need to inform older generations about food and sustainability. Because many consumers often do not know how to deal with the best before date (MHD). A better understanding could significantly reduce food waste.

food waste in view of the EU

According to data from the European Union, around 60 million tons of food are affected annually, which corresponds to an enormous value of 132 billion euros. This also has ecological challenges, because 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste. In order to counteract this, the EU pursues ambitious goals to reduce food waste. By 2030, a reduction of at least 20 percent in food production and processing as well as 40 percent in retail, in restaurants and private households is to be achieved.

In a recently adopted document, suggestions were made that go beyond these goals. Among other things, the EU is planning a revision of the waste framework directive and binding waste reduction goals. Above all, unsalable but still edible food should be donated. This could make a big difference to reduce the pressure on the resources.

political need for action

Dominique Ertl demands legally binding goals from politics to move supermarkets and companies to act. It calls for a national strategy to reduce food waste that is based on the ambitious goals of the UN sustainability agenda. There is currently no clear legal framework in Germany that obliges companies to report on their food losses. A change of course in politics is urgently necessary to reduce the economic and ecological costs of food waste.

With a growing awareness of the problems related to food waste and initiatives such as Motatos, Germany is faced with the chance to take on a pioneering role in the fight against food waste. Access to saved foods could stimulate many to buy regional and sustainable and to promote rethinking in food use. In this context, the clarification of the MHD and a sensitive handling of food is of central importance to counteract waste.