Today (Wednesday 29 September 2021) marks International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. To mark the occasion, food waste mobile-app Gander and Henderson Technology have released impressive results outlining the ongoing success of their collaboration locally.
Over two years ago, in an industry first, Gander, a mobile platform that displays ‘reduced-to-clear’ food products, partnered with Henderson Technology to bring their sustainable technology to life in stores supplied by the Henderson Group in Northern Ireland under the SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO, ViVOXTRA and ViVO Essentials brands. Since this partnership began in 2019, both parties have worked collectively to reduce food waste at store level and to affect behavioural change in the mindsets of shoppers.
Year on year the evidence of its continued success is growing. In 2021, there have been over 4 million user events on the app which is a 105% increase on 2020, and over half a million in August alone. This has resulted in a c.42% improvement in sell through of product and therefore reduction in waste, validated by a 36% increase in reduced sales.
Co-Founder of the world-first app, Ashley Osborne says: “Food waste is still a compelling narrative and one that is still trying to be understood. Whilst we have seen an increase in smarter shopping and shoppers making more conscious purchases, our campaign to challenge misconceptions around reduced-itemed goods and how simple changes can make a big difference, needs to continue. In fact, it needs to be amplified. Now more than ever, the environment and climate change are being pushed to the front of people’s agendas.
“We believe that digital solutions, like Gander, will be the driving force for change to open doors for food market transformation and to drive sustainability. Our partnership with Henderson Technology has been an incredibly positive step forward in the right direction. As an organisation it has fully embraced our vision and through integrating with its leading EDGE-POS system we have been able to deliver actual meaningful results to retailers, shoppers and the environment.”
Darren Nickels, Retail Technology Operations Director at Henderson Technology added: “Lack of accessibility shouldn’t be a factor in the battle against food waste, and that’s what Gander enables for shoppers. Our innovations are not only ensuring fewer food items go to waste, but that retailers are also not losing out on stock and profits, thanks to putting those items in the palm of shoppers’ hands.
“The past 18 months have made consumers even more conscious about how they shop and where they shop, and innovations in technology is helping local community stores lead the way. We’re very proud to be part of it and see Gander expand from the success of our network of SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores.”
Reducing food loss and waste is significant as it contributes to the realisation of broader improvements to agri-food systems toward achieving food security, food safety, improving food quality and delivering on nutritional outcomes. The importance of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, now in its second year, is to support the ongoing reduction in food loss and waste that also contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as pressure on land and water resources.
Gander launched in 2019 across over 300 SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOxtra stores in Northern Ireland. It has since expanded into Scotland, Jersey, Guernsey, Wales, and mainland GB with plans in place for ongoing roll-out globally.