Ms Angela Ruttledge:

I thank the Chair, Deputies and Senators for meeting us to talk about the circular economy and food waste. Up to 40% of all food produced worldwide is wasted each year. Food waste globally in 2022 was more than 1 billion tonnes, 132 kg per person, or 1 billion meals a day. This waste comes at a cost of $1 trillion annually. Food loss and waste contribute to between 8% and 10% of human-made greenhouse gas emissions. It is meanwhile estimated that up to 783 million people are facing malnourishment. In Ireland, more than one in 11 people are experiencing food poverty. It is morally wrong to waste this food when we have the opportunity and the systems to share it. We are grateful for the opportunity to explain FoodCloud’s solutions to this problem, our impact, the benefits for all food systems stakeholders and our future focus in Ireland and internationally.

FoodCloud is an Irish-registered charity that redistributes surplus food to alleviate food insecurity, increase social inclusion and reduce the environmental and climate impacts of food loss and waste. This is in support of UN SDG 12.3 for 2030 to reduce food waste by 50%, reduce food loss all along the supply chain and of SDG 2 on zero hunger. In 2013 there was no national food redistribution solution in Ireland. In response, FoodCloud developed two core solutions that are complementary, enabling food rescue at each stage of the value chain.

Our food rescue technology, Foodiverse, directly connects retailers and food businesses that have surplus food, to local community groups that can use that food. The technology we developed is being used by food redistribution organisations in the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Kenya and Indonesia. We also have three hubs located in Cork, Dublin and Galway. From here we can redistribute larger volumes of donated food. FoodCloud is also the Department of Social Protection partner organisation for nationwide management of the ESF+ food support programme.

FoodCloud is always looking for more ways to ensure food goes to people and not to waste. FoodCloud kitchen launched in 2022 and is located at Ace Enterprise Park, Clondalkin, Dublin. We prepare meals on wheels for a homecare service provider, as well as for use in FoodCloud’s food truck at markets, festivals and corporate events, and at a café at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin.

As well as using surplus food, the kitchen offers opportunities for community building and education. In addition, FoodCloud recently launched Thrive Together, an education programme that provides support, resources and guidance that can build capacities in communities for food surplus redistribution and food waste reduction. To date, FoodCloud has facilitated the redistribution of more than 280 million meals. That is more than 180,000 tonnes of food to more than 10,000 community partners in every county in Ireland and across five other countries. FoodCloud employs 92 staff and 22 community employment scheme colleagues and relies on support from 50 community volunteers. Our activities are funded through a mix of grants and donations and revenue from services.

We have described the policy and legal context of Ireland's obligation in more detail in the appendix supplied to the committee. Ireland's national food waste prevention roadmap recognises the country's commitment under UN SDG 12.3 and identifies 28 key priority actions to achieve a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030. Ultimately, in five and a half years' time or potentially by the end of the lifetime of the next Government, there will be economic, environmental, legal and reputational consequences for Ireland if we do not reduce food waste by 50% and make significant inroads to reduce food loss all along the supply chain.

I want to refer to the three priorities FoodCloud has identified to help meet these obligations. The first is the grower's project. FoodCloud is seeking to establish a national programme for the redistribution of surplus produce from growers who would not otherwise be able to donate the surplus due to cost, to community groups across the country. FoodCloud received funding from the rural innovation and development fund in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and to continue the project in 2024. The pilot was also funded by Tesco. Last year, FoodCloud aimed to redistribute 60 tonnes of fresh produce through the current phase of the project. By January 2024, working with two local development companies in Donegal and Foodshare Kerry, we had redistributed 122.5 tonnes of produce to 31 community organisations, supporting five farmers, within rural communities. That is equivalent to more than 290,000 meals. This project is aligned with the mission of Food Vision 2030 to create viable and resilient primary producers with enhanced well-being and helping the rural economy, reducing farm level food loss and providing a consistent supply of nutritious Irish produce to charities nationwide and meeting the key priority actions of the roadmap. These are supporting a significant increase in the capacity in scale of the surplus food redistribution sector and supporting social enterprises and community-based initiatives that promote surplus food redistribution. FoodCloud is seeking multi-annual funding to be able to scale this project.

Regarding virtual food banking, in partnership with the global food banking network, FoodCloud has introduced its technology-led model for surplus food redistribution in Africa and south-east Asia. We have projects under way in Kenya and Indonesia. We aim to leverage the technology we have developed in Ireland to support our partners in developing countries that are on the front lines of climate breakdown and food poverty. For the Kenya project, FoodCloud was awarded the Irish Aid enterprise fund for international climate action grant. Connecting donors with surplus food directly with the communities in need of the food makes food redistribution more efficient and reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. This project is aligned with Irish Aid's objectives to support lower- and middle-income countries and Food Vision 2030's aim to be a leader in sustainable food systems with an innovative, competitive and resilient agrifood sector, driven by technology and talent.

The current funding comes to an end in September 2024 and FoodCloud is seeking multi-annual funding for this project. Collaborative action, advocacy, data and insights provide support for Ireland's national food waste prevention roadmap. While we are incredibly proud of our ten-year milestone and FoodCloud's impact on the projects outlined above, we know that our work is chipping the tip of an iceberg. For example, the 3,723 tons of surplus redistributed in Ireland by FoodCloud in 2023 represents just 0.5% of the total food wasted in Ireland. Our January 2024 survey found that 70% of those organisations reported an increased demand for food assistance, with 23% finding it difficult to meet this growing need. As part of the EU platform on food losses and waste, Champions 12.3, the European Food Banks Federation and the Global FoodBanking Network, GFN, FoodCloud is advocating for measures to reduce food loss and waste and support food rescue and redistribution. It is crucial that the Irish Government continues to drive and to invest in the key priorities listed in the roadmap. We believe that UN SDG 12.3 and the ambitions set out in the draft amendments to the waste framework directive will only be achievable through continued and increased collaborative action to unlock food surplus and reduce waste. Technological solutions and investments that can drive scale and changes in policy and legislation that will support food loss and waste reduction in an Irish context are also important. We draw the committee's attention to the references in both the draft European Parliament amendments to the waste framework directive and in the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, food waste index to the importance of co-ordinated and collaborative action across public and private stakeholders in tackling the problem of food loss and waste.

FoodCloud will continue to focus on collaborative innovation and knowledge sharing with the Government, the EPA and our network of food and community partners. We are particularly focused on supporting, where our expertise allows, implementation of the key priority actions and the roadmap. Our ambition is to exponentially increase Ireland's and all nations' ability to redistribute surplus in order to avoid the unnecessary damage caused by our food systems, combat climate breakdown and meet our collective hunger prevention goals.

In conclusion, therefore, we are requesting the committee's support for the following initiatives: establishment of a national programme for redistribution of farm-level surplus; virtual food banking in low- and middle-income countries; and investment of the resources required for full and timely implementation of the key priority actions set out in the roadmap.