Application helps fight hunger by connecting companies that want to donate food and people in need

A Brazilian application called Chidden invisible promises to generate a small but significant revolution in the fight against hunger. Launched by a start-up with the same name, the service was created to promote “meeting” between restaurants, markets, ordinary people and producers who have food to donate and institutions that offer food to those in need. An initiative that has even earned the nickname “Tinder of food” and which has the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

O incredible.club shows this wonderful idea, which aims to avoid wasting food and, at the same time, gives a destination to these foods that would otherwise be thrown away. A gesture that must be shared because it can prevent hunger for many people.

According to research by Embrapa in 2018, in Brazilian households alone, around 128 kilos of food suitable for consumption are wasted every year. On the other hand, according to the UN, there are more than 5 million people in the country with malnutrition, data from 2017.🇧🇷

The creator of the project was Daniela Leite and the movement came about in a very unusual way. She went to the market looking for fruit to make sweets and couldn’t find any. Visiting a fruit and vegetable distributor, Daniela came across a huge waste of food that could still be consumed. Faced with this reality, she decided to do something to change this situation.

The app is available for all mobile platforms and encourages ordinary people and businesses to participate. Registration is simple and anyone can help. The entity accepts donations from businesses that have daily leftovers or have in their stock, food that is close to expiry, but suitable for consumption.

The app, as we mentioned, even got certified by the program Save Food, FAO, which aims to fight hunger and warn against waste. Certification by an entity linked to the UN is undoubtedly a differential for the work of the Invisible Food.

The app makes a kind of “intersection” between those who need to donate and those who accept donations, giving visibility to supply and demand — hence the name “Invisible Food”. With the use of the application, NGOs, kindergartens, nursing homes and ordinary people have access to information on where and how to obtain donations. All done in an organized way so that only what can be consumed is donated. And in such a way that the recipient knows well the conditions in which the food to be donated is found.

With the help of a map and a geolocation system, those who need it can identify what is available in the locality where they live, signal that they are interested and agree on the day and time to pick it up. The system thus speeds up the collection of ready-to-eat food or ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and cereals that can sustain several people.

One of the main points of the entity’s work is to demystify the idea that donating ready-to-eat food is prohibited in Brazil — for health reasons. This, in fact, is one of the biggest reasons why companies end up discarding food that could feed other people. The main issue is for the donor to clarify, at the time of delivery, the condition of the food and the correct way of handling and maintenance by the receiver.

A beautiful initiative that shows that a little goodwill is all it takes to make the world a better place. If food is left over, there shouldn’t be hunger. This is a reality that can be changed and the decision is at our fingertips. How about signing up and sharing something that’s left at home? The entity accepts donations of one unit or one ton of apples, for example.

Did you like this idea? Wanted to help and didn’t know how? Let us know if you know of any similar ideas.