West Concord, Mass.-based technology company Divert Inc. says its partnership with Albertsons Cos. banner Safeway, reduced wasted food and helped the retailer increase its food donations by 20%.
The partnership helped reduce food going to waste by an average of 1,252 pounds per store per month by using Divert’s data to identify the root cause of wasted food at the operations level, according to a news release.
“Divert is a critical partner in helping us increase our food recovery efforts, sharing strategies and key insights across our business to drive immediate results,” said Karl Schroeder, president of Safeway’s Northern California division.
Safeway turned to Divert earlier this year to help optimize its wasted food prevention and food recovery as part of California Senate Bill 1383 compliance that calls for a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal by 2025.
Divert said it worked with Safeway and the Alameda County Community Food Bank to implement strategies tailored to the store. It analyzed Safeway’s current donation performance and then deployed its proprietary data to uncover new opportunities for waste reduction.
The companies said Safeway increased its donations to the Alameda County Community Food Bank in just a few months. The food bank said 1 in 4 residents in the community experience food insecurity, and it distributes food to more than 400 food pantries and nonprofits in the California Bay Area.
The food bank said with Safeway’s increased donations, the food bank can provide nearly 1 million meals worth of food to the community each week.
“To truly have an impact on the wasted food crisis, we need to collectively work together across the value chain,” said Ben Kuethe Oaks, vice president of customer solutions and success with Divert. “Safeway is at the forefront of this effort and an example to Californians of how to effectively bring together technology, infrastructure, and policy to significantly reduce organic waste and get food to communities in need.”
Safeway says it continues to expand its partnership with Divert into more stores.
