FOOD COWBOY

Consumer food waste is largely behavioral but supply chain waste comes down to economics: Food is expensive to move. If it can’t be sold, it doesn’t make sense to preserve or transport it. That is why wholesalers and distributors throw away thousands of tons of wholesome but blemished produce every day – not just because you and I won’t buy it, but because they can’t find charities to donate to in time. Why not? The food supply chain is longer and more technologically interconnec... ted than ever before. But most food charities haven’t progressed beyond spreadsheets and e-mail – their technology capacity is limited. Thus, the terrible irony of food companies paying to have nutritious fruits and vegetables hauled away to landfills, while charities just a few miles away pay good money to purchase the same foods. Food Cowboy helps charities look and act more like supply chain companies. It can help truckers and other donors search for them by location, operating hours, storage capacity and even loading dock type. It can also handle scheduling and communications. Transfers happen efficiently and charitable donation paperwork is streamlined. Right now, the paperwork’s not worth the hassle. There’s no getting around the fact that we are wasteful – yet we are also caring and innovative. In the past, we lacked both the technology and the understanding to do more than just talk about hunger and waste, but now we have real solutions. So let’s partner up to feed our neighbors and protect the environment.More