EatCloud: The Colombian Startup Turning Food Waste into Food Security
- yanabijoor
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What problem is EatCloud solving?
Colombia loses more than 9.7 million tons of edible food every year. This amount of food waste could feed eight million people. Ironically, over 19 million Colombians suffer from hunger, and 392,000 kids, under the age of five, face chronic malnutrition. This contradiction shows how inefficient the food system is and how enormous food losses are affecting the Colombian people and the environment.
What is the solution?
EatCloud is a Colombian start-up that aims to solve this problem using AI technology to salvage and then redistribute food. Its founder, Jorge Correa, grew up watching children depend on one guaranteed meal a day at a daycare run by his mother. His experiences motivated him to fight hunger. In 2020, he launched EatCloud after years of working with food companies on managing products that were about to expire. He realized the country needed an efficient way to link excess food with people in need.
EatCloud leverages AI to automate the process of locating, collecting, and redistributing extra food. Supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, catering services, and farmers notify the EatCloud platform about food that is still safe to eat but won't be sold or used. EatCloud connects the organizations to food banks and other social organizations that distribute the rescued food to communities in need. EatCloud’s access to real-time data gives it analytics on how, when, and where food is wasted. EatCloud gives this information back to organizations so that they can make better decisions, reduce waste, save money, and operate more efficiently.
Why is this innovative?
This model is innovative because it links the entire food ecosystem in a way that has not been done before. It provides companies with an easy way to donate food while reducing costs. It provides food banks and small organizations with more donations in smaller quantities that can be collected quickly. EatCloud uses data to show social, economic, and environmental impact in real time. Today, the platform operates in more than 230 cities and municipalities in Colombia. It supports the food banks of 25 major cities, along with many smaller organizations. EatCloud also formed alliances in Mexico and Spain and will soon expand to the United States, Brazil, and several other Latin American countries.
What is the impact?
According to EatCloud, it has redistributed more than 42,000 tons of food, which equals more than 96 million plates of food. It has prevented more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and has saved the food industry more than 40 million dollars. In 2024, EatCloud won the Dubai International Award for Best Practices for Sustainable Development. The award honored the company’s role in reducing waste, fighting hunger, and helping the environment through data and innovation.
What needs to improve?
EatCloud is improving, but there is still a way to go. More than a third of all food produced in Colombia is lost every year, which means the recovery potential is far bigger. Many regions still lack appropriate logistics in cold rooms and refrigerated transport. Some communities lack either local organizations or volunteers that can collect and distribute rescued food. Households continue to waste staggering amounts of food. Global studies estimate that people waste, on average, 74 kilograms of food per year at home. Fully solving the problem will require the food ecosystem to develop stronger infrastructure, better education on handling food, and closer co-operation from businesses, governments, and citizens.
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