Replate
The Pitch
Replate redirects excess food away from landfills and delivers it to families facing food insecurity. They developed technology and built community partnerships to organize the program.
The Problem
The COVID-19 pandemic caused people around the world to lose their jobs and more families to slip below the poverty line, a trend felt acutely in Los Angeles. As economic opportunities lagged behind the city’s rising cost of living, many households faced growing financial strain and rising levels of food insecurity. At the same time, excess food from businesses often went to waste, and when discarded in landfills, generated CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change.
The Process
- Developed technology that connects “food rescuers” with restaurants and grocery stores to redirect excess food to non-profits
- Initiated a partnership with DoorDash to deliver food (where Replate did not have food rescuers), enabling the program to expand from San Francisco to San Diego, Los Angeles and the Central Valley
- Partnered with CalRecycle to increase food recovery efforts
- Collaborated with food banks and other food rescuers to broaden the food distribution network
- Partners with policy leaders such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, ReFED and the Harvard Law Food Policy Clinic, to support bills that tackle issues related to food waste and insecurity
The Impact
- Rescues thousands of pounds of food annually, preventing environmental harm in the form of CO2 emissions and water waste
- Increases access to healthy food for low-income and marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution, improving health outcomes
- Prevents food waste
- Alleviates a small part of the economic stressors brought on by the city’s high cost of living by connecting families with free food
- Enables service providers and non-profits to direct their limited funds to program and capacity growth rather than towards food procurement
