Photos: Technology saving food waste

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$750 billion in food is wasted worldwide every year

One-third of the world's food is thrown away every year, according the U.N. Startups are popping up all over the world to reroute food waste to charities and people in need so it doesn't end up in landfills.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: sporkist/Flickr
Cropmobster reducing food waste with social media

Using social media and mobile alerts, Cropmobster has rerouted more than 400,000 pounds of surplus food in 12 California counties in less than a year.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Gary Cedar
Rerouting surplus crops

A gleaning for hunger relief charities took place at Bloomfield Organics. Volunteers found out about the event via email alerts through Cropmobster.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Gary Cedar
Harvesting crops for hunger relief

Volunteers help gather leftover crops at Bloomfield Organics for a hunger relief donation.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Gary Cedar
Cropmobster in action

Each time, an alert is shared via email, social media, and text alert. Cropmobster, which now reaches 12 California counties, tracks the transaction time manually based on what the farmers post.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Cropmobster
Cropmobster delivers surplus crops

Cropmobster, run by Nick Papadopoulos of Bloomfield Organics, uses social media to connect farmers with surplus crops to people who need it.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Cropmobster
Mobile tech to spread news of available food

Cropmobster posts photos on Facebook of ripe fruit on public property in the area, encouraging people to pick it before it rots.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Cropmobster
Cropmobster's model

Farms post their excess food on Cropmobster, and it is picked up on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Cropmobster
Nick Papadopoulos, founder of Cropmobster

"The number one goal for me is that communities are not only recognizing food waste is a crisis, but that we become a trusted partner of communities to make sure as much financial value and awesomeness and creativity is created," Papadopoulos said. "But we are keeping these things in those communities."
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Gene X. Hwang/Orange Photography
The Zero Percent app

Zero Percent started out as a mobile app in February 2012, but has since grown into a web platform that helps donors and charities with logistics of pickups and tracks data.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Zero Percent
Using the Zero Percent mobile app

A man uses the Zero Percent phone app to submit a photo of his surplus food available for donation to local hunger relief centers.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Zero Percent
Grocers donating surplus food

Zero Percent reroutes more than 1,500 pounds of surplus food from Chicago grocers and restaurants a day.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Zero Percent
Chicago restaurants donate surplus food

"It was an app for matchmaking initially, but now the platform allows us to look at logistics, cost effectiveness, and matching," said Rajesh Karmani, CEO of Zero Percent.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Zero Percent
LeanPath uses mobile technology to track food waste

LeanPath is a complete tracking system with its own hardware that uses a camera, a scale, and a touch screen interface to gather and transmit food waste data. The data is then sent to a cloud-based warehouse that spots waste reduction opportunities.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: LeanPath
Plan Zheroes uses interactive maps to locate surplus food

This UK-based startup created an online interactive map to link places with food surplus to charities and people who need it. Right now, it's free for anyone in London.
Also see:
-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: Plan Zheroes

$750 billion in food is wasted worldwide every year

One-third of the world's food is thrown away every year, according the U.N. Startups are popping up all over the world to reroute food waste to charities and people in need so it doesn't end up in landfills.

Also see:

-How social media rerouted over 400,000 pounds of food waste in a year

Image: sporkist/Flickr

By Lyndsey Gilpin

Lyndsey Gilpin is a former Staff Writer for TechRepublic, covering sustainability and entrepreneurship. She's co-author of the book Follow the Geeks.

$750 billion in food is wasted worldwide every year

Cropmobster reducing food waste with social media

Rerouting surplus crops

Harvesting crops for hunger relief

Cropmobster in action

Cropmobster delivers surplus crops

Mobile tech to spread news of available food

Cropmobster's model

Nick Papadopoulos, founder of Cropmobster

The Zero Percent app

Using the Zero Percent mobile app

Grocers donating surplus food

Chicago restaurants donate surplus food

LeanPath uses mobile technology to track food waste

Plan Zheroes uses interactive maps to locate surplus food

$750 billion in food is wasted worldwide every year

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By Lyndsey Gilpin

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