Blogs that do not fit into any other category, but are still related to the food system and/or reducing food loss/waste.

OneThird Raises €2.75M in funding

 

 

OneThird Raises €2.75M to Tackle the $1 Trillion Lost to Food Waste Annually

Funding will be used to scale OneThird’s AI-powered technology and operations to reach more growers, distributors and retailers worldwide and help them to accurately predict the shelf life of produce throughout the supply chain

 

ENSCHEDE, The Netherlands, March 23, 2023 — OneThird, an AI-powered food tech company created to address the annual loss of one-third of all food produced due to spoilage, today announced the company has raised €2.75M euros ($3M USD) in a late-seed funding round, increasing the total amount of funding raised to date to €5.75M ($6.1M). The late seed funding was led by Dutch-based impact investor Pymwymic (an acronym for “Put Your Money Where Your Meaning Is Community”), with participation from prior investors Halma Ventures Limited, SHIFT Invest and Oost NL. OneThird will use the new funding to scale its technology and operations to expand to new markets and support fresh produce supply chains in North America and Europe as the company works to tackle the $1 trillion lost annually to worldwide food waste due to spoilage. View a short video about OneThird here.

Launched in 2019, OneThird has been quietly building its technology and carefully selecting early customers across the fresh produce supply chain. OneThird has garnered significant media attention since its debut at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where it was voted ‘Best of Show’ by multiple global tier one media. OneThird’s AI-powered, near-infrared scanning technology enables growers, food distributors, retailers and consumers to accurately predict the shelf life of fresh produce and minimize food waste. The technology currently supports and predicts the shelf life of tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries and avocados, and will extend to a total of ten types of produce, including grapes, bananas, mangoes and raspberries by late 2023.

The United Nations identifies food waste as a major sustainability development challenge. Up to one-third of food brought to market annually is wasted at an estimated cost of $1 trillion, and almost half of it – 40% – is fresh produce. Produce has a varying shelf life and is often transported over great distances — even though it may spoil within a matter of days. Proven to eliminate up to 25% of waste across the produce supply chain, OneThird’s technology empowers produce supply chain stakeholders with real-time information to help them make smarter decisions, such as optimizing best before codes, opting to ship locally or within a shorter trucking distance to maintain shelf-life, or choosing to divert produce that would otherwise spoil by turning it into smoothies, dry frozen products, soups and more.

“Global food waste has an enormous environmental impact; reducing global food waste can help to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and embolden global food security. One-third of global food produced annually is lost or wasted, which is an astronomical volume given the number of people worldwide who go to bed hungry. Global food waste is both inefficient and a major social justice issue — one that is compounded across multiple touchpoints in the supply chain — from agricultural production all the way to the landfill,” said Marco Snikkers, CEO and founder of OneThird. “The latest seed funding we’ve received will allow us to accelerate the implementation of OneThird’s technology beyond our initial customer base, expand internationally and increase the impact we can create for our customers to help them generate higher ROI, and also meet their sustainability and ESG goals.”

“Increasing food security is key to supporting a growing global population,” said Sophie Pickering, Investment Manager at Pymwymic. “We’re excited by the possibilities OneThird’s technology presents in tackling the alarming quantities of global food loss across the supply chain.

/0 Comments/by

Podcast De Oversteek, CES Las Vegas

Las Vegas, je wil er echt niet wonen. Maar het is wel ‘the gateway’ naar de rest van ‘the west’. Elk beetje modern bedrijf dat zijn business wil uitbreiden naar de VS is wel eens op de CES-beurs geweest in de casinostad van Nevada. Podcastmaker Koos Tervooren spreekt daar onder andere met Marco Snikkers (CEO OneThird), die met zijn slimme voedselscanner hoge ogen gooit op de conferentie, en naarstig op zoek is naar een Amerikaanse vestigingsplaats. Ook advocaat Jan Joosten van FisherBroyles is aanwezig, hij krijgt er veel vragen over juridische kaders (lees: risico’s) van ondernemen in de VS. Bovendien hoor je vaste gast Jacob Willemsen over alle kansen die ‘The Pacific’ biedt voor Nederlandse ondernemers die hun geluk willen beproeven in The Land of Unlimited Opportunities.

/0 Comments/by

Collaboration with Wageningen University & Research

OneThird has been working together with Wageningen University & Research on non-destructively assessing taste of fresh produce, as an alternative for costly and slow taste panels. Such that we can provide our customers shelf-life prediction and taste -two holistic quality parameters-in real time. Improving efficiencies in the supply chain and thus preventing food waste. Read more here!

/0 Comments/by

Finalist Rabobank Sustainable Innovation Award

OneThird reached the finals of the Rabobank Sustainable Innovation Awards in the category circular entrepreneurship! The jury valued the positive impact on reducing food waste. Especially, since the solution affects the whole supply chain from grower to retailer.

/0 Comments/by

OneThird live at radio show 1Twente Enschede

OneThird reached the Chamber of Commerce top 100 list of most innovative companies. The regional radio show 1Twente Enschede invited us to tell  more about our food waste preventing solution. On top of that, a live demo was given to inspect ripeness levels in avocados! Check out the video above via YouTube. Our international guests can turn on the automated English subtitles.

/0 Comments/by

OneThird selected for EIT RisingFoodStars Association

OneThird has been selected for the EIT Food’s RisingFoodStars Association together with another 15 European agtech and foodtech impactful scaleups. Being part of the network, OneThird will receive guidance and support from already established industry leaders. Being part of the EIT community also enables us to expand our view and access to scaling up, internationalisation and investments. The end goal would be achieving a better, sustainable and healthier food value chain.

Read the full article on the EIT website here.

/0 Comments/by

Editie NL – OneThird

The Dutch national TV show EditieNL came by to talk about how OneThird can help to avoid us squeezing avocados. Predicting the internal quality (ripeness/freshness) of avocados using near-infrared cameras or scanners. Thanks for dropping by!

/0 Comments/by

OneThird raises EUR 1.5 million in funding round to reduce food waste

Enschede, April 2021 – The Dutch Food Tech company OneThird raises funding of 1.5 million euro from investors SHIFT Invest and Oost NL. The equity raised will be used to accelerate the development of OneThird’s fresh produce quality prediction platform and expand pilots with retail customers. The company also expands its technical team through the acquisition of AI specialist firm Impact Analytics, adding additional expertise in (spectral) imaging and analysis. OneThird will run their operations from Kennispark Twente.

Reducing food waste

The United Nations identify food waste as one of the major sustainability challenges and address it with the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. One third of food is currently wasted, and the urgent call for action is to halve this by 2030. Major retailers and their supply chain partners have teamed up in the coalition called Champions 12.3 dedicated to inspire ambition and action to achieve this goal.

The logistics behind getting fresh produce from the grower to the retailer is complex, especially as quality varies with seasons and environmental conditions like the weather. With OneThird’s technology, quality inspectors can ‘look inside’ fresh produce in a nondestructive manner using Near-Infrared sensors, and inspect many products in a matter of seconds. Combining this data with smartphone images of these products and other relevant environmental data, artificial intelligence algorithms accurately determine both internal and external quality and provide key information such as remaining shelf life and taste.

“Our unique prediction technology allows quality inspectors throughout the food supply chain to get immediate feedback about shelf life and other quality parameters of fresh produce and take better decisions.” explains Marco Snikkers, founder of OneThird. Lack of accurate fresh produce shelf life information is resulting in unnecessary surprises in the supply chain and negative experiences for consumers. Marco Snikkers continues: “Our system can enable dynamic routing and pricing and helps to prevent food waste, optimize fresh produce logistics and improve the quality of fresh produce for consumers.”

Funding

OneThird started as a digital innovation project of Ocean Insight, a Halma company. Halma, the FTSE 100 global group of life-saving technology companies, funded the pre-seed stage of OneThird as it validated its technology with key customers. It was spun-out in 2020 providing access to new partners to further accelerate its growth.

 

“We are excited to support OneThird’s team and are convinced they are well positioned to have a large positive impact on the food value chain. OneThird focusses on providing actionable information, using parameters which really matter to their customers.” says Koen Hooning, Investment Manager at SHIFT Invest. “As an Impact-driven venture capital fund we can clearly see how OneThird can help their customers in meeting food waste reduction targets.”

Chimwemwe de Gaay Fortman of Oost NL comments: “OneThird’s solution to prevent food waste fits well to our goals in the East Netherlands: to invest in companies that use technologies to enable major breakthroughs in global challenges. We have a great high-tech ecosystem around the University of Twente. Wageningen University & Research is one of the largest institutes focusing on agriculture and food. OneThird is already actively working together with these institutes, so we are very happy to see they decided to setup their facility in Enschede”.

 

 

About OneThird

OneThird helps to prevent food waste through data-driven quality prediction of fresh produce. Our vision is to build a platform for objective quality assessment to enable smart decision-making across the supply chain. The people behind OneThird have years of experience in spectroscopy, imaging and algorithms & software development. OneThird is based in Enschede, the Netherlands.

 

About SHIFT Invest

SHIFT Invest (www.shiftinvest.com) is a Dutch venture capital fund that invests in innovations in food & agriculture, clean (bio-based) technologies, circularity and smart materials. Through its investments, SHIFT strives to create environmental impact alongside financial return. Together with the fund partners, SHIFT offers entrepreneurs a broad network and knowledge of the sector. SHIFT is managed by New Balance Impact Investors (NBI), an experienced team of investment professionals and entrepreneurs. NBI manages five venture capital funds, backed by strong and involved partners that share their mission of turning investments into impact.

 

About Oost NL

Oost NL (East Netherlands Development Agency) is an agency that focuses its activities and projects on strengthening and stimulating the economy of the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, the Netherlands. With our investments we support starting and growth-phase SMEs. We do this partly with risk capital from various revolving innovation funds, and partly through our knowledge, networks and personal contacts. Through the revolving funds we provide for direct as well as indirect investment and take care of the fund management. In addition, we stimulate and support public and private investors. The result: growth through financing. www.oostnl.nl

 

About Halma PLC

Halma is a FTSE 100 global group of life-saving technology companies, focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day. Its purpose defines the three broad market areas where it operates:

  • Safety: protecting life as populations grow and protecting worker safety.
  • Environment: improving food and water quality, and monitoring air pollution.
  • Health: meeting rising healthcare demand as growing populations age and lifestyles change.

It employs over 7,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific. In January 2021, Halma was named Britain’s Most Admired Company by Management Today.

 

onethird food waste prevention

/0 Comments/by
,

Tips for Reducing Thanksgiving Food Waste

Each year, about 200 million pounds of Thanksgiving turkey turns to food waste. Meanwhile, this year, we are seeing extraordinary circumstances. Feeding America reports that 50 million people faced food insecurity this year. The lines for food banks are miles and hours long this holiday season. So, how can we show thanks while reducing Thanksgiving food waste in our own homes?

Ideas for Limiting Thanksgiving Food Waste

1. Plan your meal

Before shopping, make sure you have a grocery list for only the things you need. Take stock of what you already have in your kitchen, and only buy what you need from the store. Think about portion sizes and consider how many people you will be serving, as well as how long you really want to be eating leftovers.

2. Save scraps and leftovers for future use

While cooking, set aside scraps for future meals. Freeze vegetable peelings and meat trimmings for broths and soups. Make chips from potato peelings (or skip peeling your veggies all together). Sauté and caramelize extra chopped onions.

Store leftovers in marked containers. That way, you’ll know what you have and how long you’ve had it, making it more likely that you’ll eat it before it actually does need to be pitched. Having guests? Ask them to take home goodie-bags with their favorites from the night. Or, drop meals off for any neighbors that might benefit from a warm meal.

Faced with a true plethora of leftovers? Get creative! Find recipes suggesting new ways to use what you already have. Extra bread rolls? Bread pudding. Leftover turkey? Try homemade turkey stock (yes, with the bones). The same goes for staple ingredients, like green beans or sweet potatoes: take the time to learn more about it, and try something new!

Still plenty to go around? Let your pets in on the Thanksgiving love. Toss together your pet-friendly leftovers (turkey meat, sweet potatoes, green beans) with some brown rice, and let your furry friends enjoy.

3. Donate

As mentioned, far too many people are hungry this year and this holiday season. If you have canned or otherwise packaged leftovers that you absolutely won’t get to, consider donating those goods to a local shelter or food bank. OneThird has compiled an interactive map to help you find a food bank near you.

More on Food Insecurity

4. Compost

As a last resort, compost your food once it truly can’t be salvaged as edible. Composting helps make our food system a closed system, as opposed to tossing it into the landfill, where it doesn’t do any good. In other words, when we compost our leftovers, it goes right back into our food system, helping to more efficiently nourish the next harvest. Look into local community compost or compost collection/drop-off opportunities, or start your own compost in your kitchen or yard space.

 

Happy Thanksgiving from the OneThird Team!

onethird food waste prevention

 

/0 Comments/by

World Food Day 2020: Guide to Action

World Food Day 2020 is October 16th, and 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

What is World Food Day?

On World Food Day 2020, governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, and the general public across 150 countries will take collective action. It’s a day for everyone to come together and promote global awareness of those who suffer from hunger.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out a few key facts:

  • 14% of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted between the stages where it is grown or raised to when it reaches the wholesale market.
  • More than 2 billion people are food insecure and nearly 690 million people are hungry – up 10 million since 2019. Additionally, The COVID-19 pandemic could add another 83-132 million people to this statistic, depending on economic growth and recovery.

Future food systems will have to address these and other issues. To that end, together, we as individuals and businesses have to consider what we can do to take action. So, how will we ensure that everyone has access to affordable and healthy diets? Moreover, how will we work to guarantee decent livelihoods for food system workers? And how will we preserve natural resources and biodiversity while tackling the issue of climate change?

What You Can Do

As consumers, individuals have the power to make a difference. Our purchases influence what suppliers, farmers, and growers produce. So, making the right choices leads to a more sustainable food system.

To that end, the FAO offers several suggestions, including choosing to buy seasonal and local grocery items, or even growing food at home!

OneThird also recommends donating food that would otherwise be tossed. This simple action will help feed members of your own community while preventing food waste in your home.

 

Resources For Preventing Food Waste at Home

For World Food Day 2020, consider growing food at home!

 

Is your business part of the food system or food supply chain? Look no further for ways to prevent food loss and boost your company’s sustainability efforts.

 

Resources For Preventing Food Loss in the Supply Chain

 

OneThird’s Mission and World Food Day

OneThird is a part of Friends of Champions 12.3, a group focused on achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

To do our part, we provide the fresh produce supply chain with solutions that enable retailers, distributors, and growers to better assess the quality of produce and optimize its routing, thus maximizing efficiency. To learn more about how OneThird can help your business, contact us, or email us directly at info@onethird.testpreview.nl.

onethird food waste prevention

/0 Comments/by