At the end of each day, cafes and restaurants often throw out premade meals that did not sell.

It’s a waste of food, it costs money, and it’s bad for the climate. When food breaks down in a landfill, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Some eateries offer discounts on items that would otherwise end up in the trash. When Sabine Valenga was a graduate student, she loved discovering these deals, and connected with others who did too.

“We were all scrappy international students living in very expensive cities like Boston and New York,” she says.

So to help promote these deals and encourage more businesses to offer them, the group created an app called Food for All. It allows eateries to post and sell surplus meals at a steep discount.

So far, the 2-year-old company works with about 250 restaurants in Boston and New York City and plans to expand to more cities this year.

Valenga says the platform benefits the climate, restaurant owners, and anyone who loves to find a great deal on food.

“Restaurants get to generate extra profits from what would otherwise be wasted,” she says. “People can get access to quality meals at affordable prices, and of course we all contribute to a better planet with less food waste.”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.

AUTHOR

Molly Matthews Multedo co-leads the Pinyon Foundation, which produces educational radio and digital media projects for Spanish-speaking audiences in partnership with Hispanic Communications Network.