SavingFood · Project

ICT Platform That Redirects Surplus Food to People in Need Instead of Landfills

foodPilotedTRL 7

Imagine a huge amount of perfectly good food gets thrown away every day by supermarkets, farms, and restaurants — while at the same time, millions of people go hungry. SavingFood built an online platform that acts like a matchmaking service between those who have surplus food and charities or food banks that can distribute it. Think of it as an Uber for leftover food — connecting supply with demand in real time through social networking tools. The platform also organizes food-saving events and builds a community of citizens who actively fight waste.

By the numbers

Consortium partners involved in development and pilots

European countries where the platform was tested

Total project deliverables produced

Demo platform versions (2 prototypes + 2 full releases)

SMEs in the consortium including the coordinator

The business problem

What needed solving

Every year, massive quantities of edible food are discarded by retailers, caterers, and producers — while food banks and charities struggle to source enough donations. The core problem is a communication gap: surplus food exists in one place, demand exists in another, and there is no efficient real-time system to connect them before the food spoils.

The solution

What was built

The project built a complete digital platform for surplus food redistribution, progressing through 2 prototype iterations to 2 full platform releases. The platform combines social networking tools with food surplus matching, event coordination for food-saving activities, and community engagement features — all built on open-source technology with full technical documentation across 35 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Supermarket and grocery chains looking to reduce food waste disposal costsMunicipal governments with food waste reduction mandatesFood bank networks needing better logistics for collecting surplus foodCatering and hospitality companies with unpredictable leftover volumesCorporate sustainability teams reporting on ESG food waste metrics

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Food Retail & Grocery Chains

enterprise

Target: Supermarket chains and grocery retailers with perishable inventory

If you are a grocery retailer dealing with unsold perishable goods heading for the bin every evening — this project developed a digital platform that connects your surplus stock directly with food banks and charities in real time. The system was tested across 4 countries with 7 partner organizations, covering both organized redistribution events and ad hoc food rescue. Instead of paying disposal costs, you turn waste into measurable social impact and compliance with food waste regulations.

Food Service & Hospitality

mid-size

Target: Catering companies, hotel chains, and event organizers

If you are a catering or hospitality business struggling with leftover food from events and daily operations — this project built a social networking platform that mobilizes volunteers and connects you with local charities who can pick up surplus food before it spoils. The open-source tools were refined through 2 prototype versions and 2 full platform releases, making integration straightforward. This helps you reduce disposal costs while meeting corporate sustainability targets.

Municipal Waste Management

enterprise

Target: City governments and waste management agencies

If you are a municipal authority under pressure to reduce organic waste in landfills — this project created a community-driven platform that diverts edible food before it enters the waste stream. Piloted across 4 European countries, the platform uses collective intelligence and social network effects to coordinate citizens, food businesses, and redistribution organizations. It gives you a ready-made digital tool to hit food waste reduction targets without building from scratch.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this platform in our operations?

The SavingFood platform was built using advanced open-source tools, which means the underlying technology has no licensing fees. Deployment costs would depend on customization, integration with your existing logistics systems, and local community onboarding. Contact the coordinator through SciTransfer for specific pricing discussions.

Can this scale beyond a local pilot to a national or multi-country operation?

The platform was designed and tested across 4 countries (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, UK) with 7 consortium partners, demonstrating cross-border scalability. The social networking architecture is inherently scalable — the more users join, the stronger the network effect for matching surplus food with demand.

Who owns the intellectual property and can we license it?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020, and the platform uses open-source tools. IP arrangements would be governed by the consortium agreement among the 7 partners. The coordinator VILABS OE (a Greek SME) would be the primary contact for licensing discussions.

Does this help us comply with food waste regulations?

The EU has set binding food waste reduction targets, and several member states now require large food businesses to donate unsold edible food. SavingFood provides the digital infrastructure to document and coordinate surplus food redistribution, which directly supports regulatory compliance and reporting.

How long would it take to get this running in our organization?

The project produced 2 prototype versions followed by 2 full platform releases over its 28-month timeline (2016-2018). Based on available project data, organizations with existing food redistribution contacts could integrate within months, while building a new local community network would take longer.

Can it integrate with our existing inventory or ERP systems?

The platform was built on open-source components with documented APIs (35 total deliverables including technical documentation). Based on available project data, the architecture was designed to connect with social networking environments, suggesting API-based integration is feasible with standard enterprise systems.

Consortium

Who built it

The 7-partner consortium spans 4 countries (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, UK) with a practical mix: 2 industry players, 1 university, 1 research organization, and 3 other entities (likely NGOs or food banks given the project's social mission). The coordinator VILABS OE is a Greek SME, which suggests agility and commercial orientation. With a 29% industry ratio and 2 SMEs, the consortium leans toward social innovation rather than heavy commercial deployment — meaning a business adopter would likely need to drive commercialization themselves, but the technology foundation is solid and open-source.

VILABS OECoordinator · EL
INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUMparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTONparticipant · UK
BOROUME SAVING FOOD SAVING LIVESparticipant · EL
GLOBAL FEEDBACK LIMITEDparticipant · UK
MAGYAR ELELMISZERBANK EGYESULETparticipant · HU

How to reach the team

VILABS OE is a Greek SME that coordinated the project. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to discuss licensing or deployment.

Order a report on this consortium See VILABS OE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to deploy a food surplus redistribution platform in your operations? SciTransfer can connect you with the SavingFood team and help assess fit for your specific market. Contact us for a tailored briefing.

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