Podcast Summary
Addressing Food Waste and Ensuring Access to Nutritious Meals: Jasmine Crowe Houston recognized the problem of food waste in the US and started Goodr, a company that redistributes unused food to those in need, emphasizing the importance of sustainable solutions and year-round access to meals.
There is a significant amount of wasted food in the United States, while millions of Americans struggle to have enough to eat. Jasmine Crowe Houston, the founder of Goodr, recognized this problem and started a company that partners with businesses to redistribute unused food to those in need. Before starting Goodr, she was involved in helping black celebrities establish charitable organizations and noticed a cycle of increased giving during certain times of the year, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, hunger is not limited to just those times, and she decided to take action by starting an initiative called Sunday Soul, where she would provide free meals to homeless individuals every Sunday. This conversation highlights the importance of addressing food waste and finding sustainable solutions to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious meals throughout the year.
Feeding the Homeless with Dignity and Choice: Jasmine Crowe-Houston's initiative goes beyond providing food for the homeless; it aims to restore their dignity and give them a sense of choice by offering restaurant-style meals and a warm atmosphere.
Jasmine Crowe-Houston took it upon herself to feed people experiencing homelessness with dignity and choice. She wanted to give them a good Sunday meal, like the ones we typically enjoy, along with old school music to create a warm atmosphere. Jasmine served anywhere from 350 to 500 people at a time, making a variety of dishes like chicken and pasta. She wanted to provide them with the opportunity to order an appetizer, salad, entree, side items, and dessert, just like in a real restaurant. Despite the financial challenges, she found innovative ways to gather donations and even contributed her own money. Jasmine's initiative aimed to address the problem of hunger in the US by providing people with not just food, but also dignity and choice.
The Extent and Consequences of Food Waste in the United States: Food waste in the United States is a major problem, leading to environmental and social consequences. Addressing this issue is crucial for combating climate change and ensuring food security for vulnerable populations.
Food waste is a significant problem in the United States, with 40% of the food consumed being thrown away every year. This amounts to about 80 billion pounds of food waste, including not just leftovers from plates, but also discarded items from grocery stores, farms, and events like weddings and conferences. The consequences of this food waste are far-reaching, contributing to methane gas emissions from landfills and negatively impacting poverty, health outcomes, and social determinants of health. Addressing food waste is crucial in combatting global climate change, as it is the single largest source of landfill emissions. Additionally, finding solutions to provide food to vulnerable populations, such as unhoused individuals, is another pressing issue that needs attention.
Addressing Food Insecurity and Food Waste: Despite the availability of resources, many still struggle to access enough food, leading to difficult choices. Innovative solutions are needed to bridge the gaps and reduce food waste.
Despite the existence of various resources such as churches, synagogues, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters, there are still gaps in providing consistent access to food for those in need. Jasmine Crowe-Houston noticed that families would rely on these resources on a daily basis, highlighting the ongoing struggle to secure enough food even with food stamps or other means. People often face the difficult choice between paying for essentials like rent, medicine, or transportation versus purchasing food. Additionally, the conversation highlights the issue of food waste in the country, with Jasmine discovering through her research that a significant amount of food is wasted each night by restaurants. This conversation reveals the need for innovative solutions to address these gaps and reduce food waste, ensuring that everyone has consistent access to nutritious meals.
Bridging the Gap - Connecting Food Waste and Hunger: By addressing the logistics problem and redirecting wasted food, we can simultaneously solve the issue of food waste and hunger, bridging the gap between these two problems.
There is a significant amount of food waste that could be redirected to feed the millions of hungry people. Jasmine Crowe-Houston had an "aha moment" when she realized the connection between the abundance of wasted food and the hunger crisis. She noticed that while technology was being developed to deliver food faster to those who already have access, there was a lack of focus on providing for the have-nots. By addressing the logistics problem and finding ways to redirect perfectly safe and consumable food that is currently being thrown away, we can bridge the gap between food waste and hunger. There is a need to build systems that connect these two issues and solve both problems simultaneously.
Goodr: Solving Food Waste through Sustainable Logistics: Goodr's for-profit approach to redirecting excess food not only saves money for businesses but also feeds people in need and supports the environment.
Goodr, as a for-profit logistics company, was founded to address the issue of food waste in a sustainable and community-oriented way. Jasmine Crowe-Houston recognized that businesses were already paying to dispose of perfectly good food, contributing to environmental harm and wasting resources. By offering these businesses a solution to redirect their excess food to those in need, Goodr not only helps save money through tax deductions and reduced waste pickups, but also feeds people and supports the environment. Initially, there was resistance from companies who preferred working with nonprofits, but as the business model made sense, the value of a for-profit approach became evident.
Turning food waste into food recovery: Jasmine Crowe-Houston recognized the challenges in nonprofit fundraising and decided to tackle the issue by creating a waste management company that recovers surplus food and delivers it to people in need, all while utilizing a robust technology platform.
Jasmine Crowe-Houston recognized the challenges of fundraising for nonprofits and decided to run a for-profit company instead. Her idea was to become a waste management provider for companies that had excess food, which they were currently throwing away. Instead of using the term "waste," Jasmine referred to it as surplus food and offered a service of surplus food recovery. She aimed to solve the surplus food supply chain problem by getting edible food to people in need and finding alternative uses for non-edible food. Additionally, Jasmine understood the importance of building a robust technology platform to handle the logistics of delivering food. She took advantage of hackathons, pitch competitions, and support from others to develop the platform and bring her business to market.
Streamlining food donations with Goodr's user-friendly app: Goodr's app simplifies the process of donating surplus food, calculates its value, and ensures efficient delivery to nearby nonprofits, while also providing businesses with a donation credit.
Goodr, a food waste management company, provides a unique solution for businesses to donate their surplus food to nonprofits. Goodr uses a user-friendly app where businesses can easily enter their available food items and request a pickup. The app calculates the estimated weight value and tax value of the donated items. Goodr ensures that the food is delivered to nearby nonprofits to minimize travel time and increase efficiency. They also provide a sustainability dashboard that converts the donated pounds of food into CO2 emissions prevented. Unlike traditional waste management services, Goodr focuses on redistributing the food to those in need, providing businesses with a donation credit as a result.
The Changing Landscape of Food Waste and Sustainability: Companies are now prioritizing sustainability by actively seeking solutions to reduce food waste and ensuring access to food for everyone, driven by changing mindsets influenced by climate change and the pandemic. Goodr has adapted to these needs through efficient food transportation.
Companies are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and social impact, leading to a shift in their approach to food waste. Previously, businesses may have been motivated by tax deductions and philanthropy when considering food donation programs. However, the landscape has changed, with more companies now establishing sustainability departments and actively seeking solutions to reduce food waste. The idea of climate change and the pandemic have played a significant role in changing mindsets, as people have become more aware of the importance of not wasting food and ensuring access to food for everyone. Goodr, as a logistics and technology company, has adapted to meet these changing needs by building a network of trucks and vans for efficient transportation of donated food.
Partnering with logistics companies and prioritizing community relationships helped Goodr expand and ensure food safety.: Goodr's success stems from strategic partnerships and a proactive approach to food safety, allowing them to effectively communicate their mission while scaling up operations.
Goodr, a food recovery technology company, found success by partnering with logistics companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Roadie to scale up their operations. By subcontracting pickups to established companies, Goodr was able to expand to multiple cities quickly and efficiently. In addition to building a network of nonprofits to receive the recovered food, Goodr also prioritized building community relationships and establishing themselves as a caring organization. They ensured the safety of the food by understanding the varying expiration dates and regulations in different counties and by working closely with their nonprofit partners to address any potential issues. This proactive approach not only ensures the quality of the food but also allows Goodr to effectively communicate their message to clients and stakeholders. As they continue to grow, Goodr aims to build sustainable and profitable operations while maintaining their mission of reducing food waste and supporting communities in need.
Goodr's sustainable business model and creative partnerships have helped address food insecurity and reduce food waste, leading to nationwide success.: Goodr's business model not only generates revenue but also reduces food waste and feeds those in need, showcasing the potential for scalable impact.
Goodr has successfully built a sustainable business model based on utilizing surplus food and reducing food waste. During the pandemic, they faced challenges with their main revenue sources being closed, but they creatively partnered with organizations like the NBA and worked on addressing food insecurity in different ways. They have since focused on capturing excess food from businesses as they slowly reopen and have found great success. Goodr believes that their model can be scaled nationwide and internationally, as it not only generates revenue but also makes a significant impact in reducing food waste and feeding those in need. While the personal connection of serving meals to individuals may have decreased as the business has grown, the overall impact and reach of their operations has multiplied exponentially. Currently, they are operating in about 34 cities.
Goodr's Expansion and Partnerships in Combating Food Waste and Insecurity: Goodr aims to reduce food waste by 15% and provide food for 25 million Americans by expanding operations and forming significant partnerships, demonstrating the importance of a for-profit model for sustainability in addressing food insecurity.
There is a strong emphasis on the expansion of Goodr's operations to combat food waste and insecurity. While legislation still poses some challenges for their growth, there are positive developments in states like California, New York, and New Jersey that require businesses to recycle or donate food instead of throwing it away. Goodr also has significant partnerships, such as with Sodexo Magic, allowing them to expand their reach. The ultimate goal is to reduce food waste by 15%, which could provide food for approximately 25 million Americans. Jasmine Crowe-Houston believes that Goodr's for-profit model is essential for sustainability and efficiency in addressing food insecurity, as it forces them to make it work without relying solely on donations or philanthropy.
Disrupting Philanthropy and Waste Management Through Technology: Technology can be harnessed to address societal issues like hunger and waste management, making a more significant impact and bringing positive change.
Jasmine Crowe-Houston's company is disrupting two industries: philanthropy and waste management. Traditionally, solving societal issues like hunger has been approached through charity and donations to food banks. Similarly, waste management involved sending trucks to collect trash and depositing it in landfills. However, Jasmine's company aims to revolutionize both these areas by utilizing technology. Despite facing criticism and pushback, Jasmine believes that using technology to reduce food waste and solve hunger is a genuine opportunity for positive change. She emphasizes that technology should not only be limited to social networks and personal connections but also utilized to address real problems. While current systems like food pantries and food banks serve a purpose, the fact that people still go to bed hungry highlights the need for new approaches. By leveraging technology, Jasmine's company strives to make a more significant impact and do more to alleviate hunger.
