We love food. It’s nothing less than a cardinal truth for us. Almost everything we do circles around our passion for a tasty, affordable plate. However, our love is not blind as we know that with food, comes wastage. And this particular dilemma bothers us immensely. So, we are already up and running on solving it. We’ve posted earlier about taking measures to tackle environmental issues with non-plastic initiatives like biodegradable packaging for food delivery. In 2018, we collaborated with Akshaya Patra Foundation and ended up facilitating 22 lakh meals for underprivileged kids in less than 6 months. Last July, on our 10th birthday, we participated in a social mission to distribute meals to the underprivileged – because widespread hunger and malnourishment is painful for anyone to see.

In our book, these are active baby steps in the right direction.

In 2019, with Feeding India, we are taking the battle against food wastage and hunger a substantial notch higher. Founded by Ankit Kawatra and Srishti Jain in 2014,  Feeding India is an award-winning NGO working to solve the complex challenges of food wastage, hunger, and malnutrition in India. Their achievements speak to their commitment and I am glad to point out that, with Zomato now in the picture, the scale of the overall activity is bound to hit a higher note.

Wastage of food occurs in different steps of the food cycle — farms, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, events — mainly because of the lack of a system whereby excess food can be directed to those in need. The Zomato network will power Feeding India’s already existing sustainable models to solve the biggest challenge our country currently faces — sustainably feeding its 20 million hungry population.

Feeding India not only donates excess food from various venues including events, airports, weddings, restaurants, corporates, etc. that would otherwise go to landfills but also cooks fresh food through innovative kitchen-models to support people, especially women and children, with limited access to food and nutrition. From a team of two people four years ago, Feeding India has grown to 8,500+ volunteers today, working in 65+ cities, through 12 food recovery vans, 50+ community fridges and five sustainable projects serving 20 million meals till date.

As a start, Zomato aims to expand this ongoing movement by activating its restaurants into the network and scaling it through the smart use of technology. We see this association as an important step against food insecurity as both organizations share a common dream of ending hunger and food wastage — not just in India, but globally.

My many conversations with Ankit and Srishti have convinced me of our belief in a common mission, and I am confident that together we will significantly impact food wastage and hunger. In the coming days, Feeding India will become a core part of our DNA and a significant step in our work to ensure “better food for more people”.