Munch

In the European Union, 12% of high-quality food is thrown in the trash from restaurants and the hospitality sector. More than 1.8 million tons of food are wasted every year in Hungary, while nearly one million people do not receive enough high-quality hot food. Munch offers a complex solution to the economic, environmental, and social challenges of food waste.

Munch is the first platform in Hungary where more than 160 restaurants, bakeries, shops, and hotels sell their unsold, but high-quality food at a discount. Munch aims to promote sustainable, responsible catering and social responsibility by reducing food waste. 

Munch has three main stakeholders: the hospitality industry, customers, and people in need. We involve our stakeholders through the Munch mobile application, online groups, blog posts, outreach workshops, and in-person food sharing. Moreover, people in need are actively involved in food saving through our initiative, MunCharity.

In seven months, we saved 12,000 servings of food and reduced 113 tons of carbon dioxide emission. As of 2021, more than 9,000 users or Food Savers joined the initiative and shared their Munch adventures in online groups. We organised several charity events and plan to expand these initiatives.

The project can respond to diverse conditions and contexts; it can be transferred to places with a similar consumption culture. There will always be potential customers who can reduce food waste accumulated in restaurants through Munch. Our short-term goal is to launch Munch in two neighbouring countries.