Student Project that Tackles Food Waste Problem Wins Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award

Posted on: 17 April 2013

A Trinity student-led initiative has won the prestigious Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) ‘Minnovation’ Award at the competition finals.

The winning ‘Food Glorious Food’ project aims to bridge the ever growing gap between food waste and food poverty. The SEI has recognised the success of this Dublin based project in tackling the food waste crisis in Ireland.

Ireland is the 5th worst nation in Europe for food wastage per head. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we produce 1 million tonnes of food waste each year. The ‘Food Glorious Food’ project has created a ‘virtual food bank’, whereby restaurants and catering facilities with surplus food, which may once have been thrown in the rubbish bin, are linked with charities through a smart phone app. Those charities can then redistribute the surplus produce to the most vulnerable within our society.

Commenting on winning the award, final year Business and Economics student and Project Leader Iseult Ward said: “Everyone at Food Glorious Food HQ is overwhelmed at the success of the project thus far. To win the ‘Minnovation’ award is undoubtedly a massive step in the development of the project. Thanks to the support of the SEI and their financial backing, we are hopeful that the project, which relies upon the tremendous effort of student volunteers, will be able to expand beyond the current pilot scheme to across the nation”.

Celebrating the ‘Food Glorious Food’ award were Eamonn Fitzgerald, SEI Programme Coordinator, Alex Sloan, TCD student and Food Glorious Food Marketing Manager, Iseult Ward, TCD student and Food Glorious Food Project Manager, Laura Dennehy, Enactus Ireland and Dr Amanda Piesse, Dean of Students

The project is the only one of its type in Ireland, and has followed a path taken by similar ventures in the USA. The Food Glorious Food pilot scheme recently went live across Dublin city centre and is supported by a number of Dublin cafes and restaurants with a number of charities in the Dublin central area participating.

The social entrepreneurial project was awarded a prize fund totalling €2,000 that will allow it to consolidate its initial pilot success, broaden the project throughout Dublin city and ultimately provide the opportunity to expand the scheme across the nation. Following pitches by the three separate finalists, the winning project was decided upon by an expert panel and audience vote. The event was the first in the SEI ‘Impact Series,’ that aims to uncover and nurture some of the best ideas that will help tackle the various social and environmental issues faced by Ireland in the 21st century.