Purpose led tech start-up Yume says a grant from the federal government will fast track development of its plug and play technology helping food manufacturers commercialise surplus food at scale.
Yume founder and CEO Katy Barfield, a food rescue veteran, says the platform gives businesses a triple benefit.
“By automating the sale and donation of surplus stock, manufacturers improve their returns and improve profitability by reducing costs across storage and labour. Most importantly, they are empowered with the data to track, measure, and ultimately deliver on their food waste reduction goals,” Barfield said.
The federal government awarded Yume $366,000 through the Accelerating Commercialisation Grants project, which is part of the AusIndustry Entrepreneurs program.
Already used by top food manufacturers – including Kellogg’s, Unilever, and Mars Food – Barfield said the funds will support Yume’s growth and expansion as more manufacturers adopt the technology to improve their surplus food management and prevent food waste.
To date, the social enterprise has redistributed almost five million kilograms of surplus food and returned more than $13 million to companies who use the technology.
Barfield said that with Australia’s deadline to halve food waste by 2030 fast approaching, innovative solutions to food waste play a key role in meeting the target.
“Businesses can start having an impact on food waste today. Tools like Yume, that make good business sense and are easy to implement, are available for use now.
“This injection of funding through the Accelerating Commercialisation grant will support Yume’s rapid expansion by allowing us to scale into more product segments, supercharge our tool and ensure all food suppliers can minimise their food waste footprint,” Barfield said.
Yume is encouraging the food industry to trial the technology today.
