Optimiam, reducing food waste
Optimiam is a young French startup, founded by Raodath Aminou, whose objective is to reduce food waste.
The principle is simple: commercial traders with food reaching its expiration date can inform potential customers of their current promotions via a mobile application.
Using the application’s geolocation system, users automatically receive the closest deals to home.
As of early this year, it is now forbidden for supermarkets over 400 m2 to destroy still edible food, making the application an extremely attractive solution because food banks cannot, for the moment anyway, manage these sorts of donations logistically.
If some supermarkets are still struggling to offer promotions, 200 dealers are already in partnership with Optimiam, including some big names such as Brioche Doree, Paul, Carrefour or Subway for example.
The application has recorded 50,000 downloads and has 2 000 daily users.
The company estimate that already between 3 and 5 tons of food waste has been avoided, and 600,000 euros have been raised by the promising startup, with a crowdfunding campaign also planned.
The solution is aimed primarily at local retailers (grocery stores, food stores), large chains (Subway, Paul) and supermarkets.
In 2017, Optimiam hope to be able to export across Europe and Canada, where contact has already been established. Belgium and Germany are also mulling similar solutions in a bid to reduce waste.
