Food saving is cool! But is it really? - Munch press event took place
November 12, 2024 - "Why is food saving cool?"
2024-11-15 · Munch
November 12, 2024 - Munch organized a press event titled "Why is food saving cool?", which centered on the company's publication "Hungarian Food Waste Overview". Additionally, through two roundtable discussions, it examined the relationship of Hungarian consumers to sustainability and the efforts of the country's largest food retail chains against food waste. The event, held at the Tejmadár store in Etele Plaza, concluded with a sustainable workshop coordinated by the Meska craft marketplace.
The central element of the event was the presentation of the food-saving overview created by Munch. The overview is a knowledge base that fills a gap, presenting the current European and Hungarian situation regarding food waste. The material was presented by Belayane Najoua, the company's Global PR Area Lead, who highlighted the key lessons. "As we often hear, the extent of food waste is almost incomprehensible on a global scale. This is perfectly supported by the fact that approximately 1.3 billion tons of food are thrown away annually, and if this reached those in need, hunger could be eliminated worldwide," said Najoua, who also added that while Hungary throws away less food per capita than the European average, unfortunately, based on the latest research, last year the previous downward trend reversed and we threw away more food in 2023 than in previous years. The overview's uniqueness lies in the fact that, in addition to European Union and Hungarian data accessible to anyone, Munch also presents its own previously unpublished calculations. For example, we can learn about the proportion of different types of partners and packages present on the platform, how much we can save by munching, and which are the most active food-saving cities in the country.
The presentation of the overview was followed by two roundtable discussions. First, titled "Food waste as a sustainable and sexy business," tRENDrakó environmental activist and content creator Marcell Bartus, food futurist entrepreneur Júlia Dalmadi, founder of Secontaste, and Albert Wettstein, co-founder of Munch, held a conversation. During the professional discussion, seasoned with personal stories and laughter, we learned about the challenges faced by those engaged in environmentally conscious business and awareness-raising activities. All three emphasized that people are reluctant to change their habits and that proper support or inspiration often fails to reach consumers regarding environmental awareness.
"I consider community building important from several perspectives. On one hand, if a person can become credible and likable to people through their value-creating activities, they support them much more willingly, thus creating opportunities for preparing more and more useful content. Additionally, I personally experience that while I believe the world of advertising and social media can have a positive impact on our society, it is harder to succeed with serious topics on these platforms. I find it necessary and useful for good initiatives to spread within communities, even through word-of-mouth, as this can pave the way for innovative ideas coming from below," emphasized Marci Bartus on the significance of community building, which is also key for Munch.
The topic of much-discussed price sensitivity also came up during the discussion, as consumers often automatically associate environmentally friendly products with higher prices - not necessarily incorrectly, since quality can often only be guaranteed this way. The participants agreed that there is a need for affordable alternatives so that sustainable living is not just a privilege of the wealthy. As Albert Wettstein put it, "Munch takes steps toward sustainability without it costing the consumer more; in fact, they can even save money. We consider it our mission to make sustainability accessible and affordable for everyone."
The second roundtable discussion took place under the title "What are the country's largest food retail chains doing against food waste?" The discussion included Eszter Kazatsay, Communications Manager of PENNY Hungary, Ildikó Varga-Futó, Strategy and ESG Director of Auchan Hungary, and Kirill Perepelica, co-founder of Munch. There was great agreement among the participants on the topic of food waste, and we learned that even though they apply somewhat different strategies in places, they work toward sustainability with equal enthusiasm and innovative approach. In the case of PENNY, Kazatsay Eszter highlighted the "Girbe-gurba" campaign, which promotes second-grade but good quality products, while Auchan works toward sustainable habits with the recently launched "Still Good" educational campaign, making it easy for customers to incorporate green habits into their daily lives.
"On September 29, on World Food Waste Prevention Day, in cooperation with the NÉBIH's Zero Waste program, we launched the 'Still Good' educational campaign, with which we want to help customers navigate between different expiration dates and understand how long products labeled with 'best before' can be consumed after the stated date. This project is particularly close to my heart because, by cooperating with an authentic organization, we were able to provide tangible help to Hungarian people, through which they can significantly reduce waste at home with minimal time and effort," highlighted Ildikó Varga-Futó Auchan's currently running campaign.
Following the discussions, there was an interactive question-and-answer session, where Dr. Nelli Újhelyi, lifestyle-changing gastro-blogger and this year's Healthy Nation Ambassador, summarized why awareness-raising is not negligible alongside business activities for companies dealing with sustainability. "My research showed that most people are open to lifestyle change, but don't know how to start. Almost everyone expressed a desire to see an authentic example of someone showing them how to live more sustainably. Munch is exactly such a player for me because, in addition to the food-saving service, you work with tips, recipes, and real people as role models so that those just beginning their environmental journey have an easier time taking this path."
To conclude the event, thanks to the Meska craft marketplace, interested participants took part in a creative workshop where they made environmentally friendly Christmas star decorations from willow. In addition to being extremely durable and solid, the material is completely compostable, making it a long-lasting alternative to plastic decorative elements. While making the Christmas stars, many noted that although we don't typically think of home furnishings when discussing more sustainable alternatives, we could replace quite a lot in our homes with greener and more unique elements, if we just looked around on the Meska website, where thousands of Hungarian craftspeople sell their products.
The event proved that Munch is capable of building a kind of bridge between professional stakeholders, where collaborations and collective thinking have tremendous power. To achieve our common goal, it is essential to understand and get to know each other and share knowledge, whether through a food-saving overview or a casual conversation.
Media Contact:
Belayane Najoua
Global PR Area Lead
+36/30 5394383 / nazsi@munch.hu
Munch:
Munch was founded in 2020 by 4 young people who use modern technology to fight food waste. Munch is a platform through which restaurants, bakeries, shops, and hotels sell discounted, unsold but good quality food. With Munch, everyone can easily help reduce food waste while eating well – at a good price! Munch has won the "Sustainable Company of the Year Award" and at OMÉK, Hungary's largest food industry fair, the "Food Waste Prevention Award." In November 2022, the Czech-founded Nesnězeno application merged into the company. Last spring, it began operations in Slovakia, and this year in Romania. Currently, in all four countries, more than 4000 partners and 2 million app downloads are saving food.
Meska:
The idea for Meska was born in 2008 between Bori Hídvégi and Réka Porst, who were former schoolmates. Bori represented craftsmanship and creativity, while Réka was more at home in management and entrepreneurship. Meska's mission is to help sellers and buyers in the craft sector find each other while paying particular attention to sustainability and environmental values. The site's first prototype launched on July 18, 2008, and by the end of August, it already had 500 products and 40 sellers. Since then, it has developed into one of the country's most visited craft, antique, and design websites.
Viktor Gerő, former CEO of Vatera, joined the team in 2011 and currently participates in the company as co-owner and strategic leader. Meska has undergone many innovations in recent years, which also meant the inclusion of new segments and markets - since 2021, vintage products can also be sold on the site, and a year ago in 2023, the company expanded to Romania under the name Artynos. Currently, the site has more than 5,600 craft creators with over 250,000 unique quality products. The brand received innovative Hungarian brand awards in 2022 and 2023.
tRENDrakó:
Marci Bartus, better known as tRENDrakó or as he is known on social media "the Vinegar Guy," is an environmental activist and content creator specializing in promoting sustainability and chemical-free households. With more than 100,000 followers on TikTok, he shares practical advice on healthy, chemical-free cleaning and household management. Three books have been published so far on the topic of healthy cleaning. His goal is to demonstrate how chemicals can be replaced with simple, natural alternatives. He is also co-host of Klubrádió's "Human on Earth" program, where they explore sustainability week after week with their guests.
Secontaste:
Secontaste (formerly Food Saver) is the initiator of the domestic upcycling revolution! Their mission is to find nutrient-rich by-products generated during food production that are discarded due to aesthetic reasons or lack of proper knowledge or technology, and create excellent quality food products from them. One such rescued raw material is brewer's spent grain, a by-product of beer production, which has been used since 2021 to create high-fiber, high-protein, and reduced-carbohydrate products. In June of this year, they closed the country's largest crowdfunding campaign on the brancs platform to introduce their latest product. Since September, Secontaste snacks have been available not only in domestic supermarkets but also in the Czech Republic.
PENNY:
PENNY Market Kft. has been operating in Hungary since 1996. The retail chain currently operates 231 stores, 3 logistics centers, and employs nearly 5,000 employees. The company's mission is to offer its customers the freshest and best value-for-money products across the country, including excellent quality private-label and Hungarian Product-branded items. PENNY places particular emphasis on close commercial relationships with Hungarian suppliers. Through its new investments and expansion, it continuously supports the development of the domestic economy. Since its inception, the retail chain has been committed to environmental and social responsibility. In this regard, it continuously cooperates with civil organizations whose primary goal is to help and support Hungarian people and families.
Sources used for the food-saving overview:
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_wasfw/default/table?lang=en
https://www.fao.org/4/mb060e/mb060e00.htm
https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy/food-loss-and-waste-prevention_en
Contact and Creative Materials
Creative materials accompanying the press release are available at this link.
Contact:
Belayane Najoua
Global PR & CRM Manager
+36/30 5394383
nazsi@munch.hu