Have you ever gone away on a trip only to realize when you come home that while you remembered to turn off the lights and unplug your appliances, you didn't empty the fridge and now there's a rotten tomato in there? Well, you're not alone. In an effort to reduce food waste and enhance programs against hunger, people are teaming up and donating their unused or unwanted food to community fridges.
So how does it work? Well anyone is able to put (almost) anything in the fridge, and anyone is allowed to take anything out. That doesn't just apply to local residents; restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets are also getting involved, donating ingredients and leftovers that could help you make a nice lunch!
The FAO estimates that about one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year is wasted. That's rougly 1.3 billion tonnes! Food losses and waste amounts to roughly US$ 680 billion in industrialized countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries. Community fridges are a grassroots movement that can help redistribute food in order to reduce those numbers, all the while helping people in need!
