CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The USDA said, in the U.S., food waste is estimated to be between 30 to 40% of the food supply.
USDA's Economic Research Service said this equals approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food.
WCNC Charlotte spoke with a business seeking solutions and working to eliminate food waste here in Charlotte.
Love In Action Cafe opened just 15 months ago but is already growing in popularity in the Queen City. Like any restaurant though, food that was prepared but not sold at the end of the day would end up in the trash.
But not anymore.
Chefs OG and Naija, co-owners of Love in Action Cafe said they built their business in a food desert, right off of Tuckaseegee Road just west of Interstate 85.
"We want to be in the community; we want people to have access to foods that are healthy for them," Chef Naija said.
Before the two chefs turned the building into a vegan restaurant, Naija said it used to be a fried chicken and then a soul food joint.
Despite the 180 switch, she said the residents have grown to love the new cuisine.
"So, they come in and look at our menu, and you'll see chicken sandwich or cheesesteak, and they don't know it's vegan,and we don't know that they don't know," she said. "And then, they eat it, 'Like this is really good.'"
Most of the food Chef OG and Naija sell is “made to order,” which means they don’t accumulate too much food waste, but say any pre-made food items that don’t sell will usually get tossed.
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A new app launching in Charlotte in a few days is hoping to save Love in Action, and other local restaurants, from having to throw away food at the end of the night.
Spokesperson for the app Too Good to Go Sarah Soteroff said everyone wins with their app.
"So, they're getting a great discount on the food, and the businesses are able to recoup what would otherwise be lost revenue from not having to throw away that food," Soteroff said.
Soteroff said, even though first-time customers pay a really low price for their Too Good To Go order, many come back on their own time to pay full price.
The Love in Action crew said they’ve seen this firsthand.
"I was really excited because the more customers Too Good to Go sends us, we have repeated customers, and they just get a snippet," Chef OG said. "So, they want more. So, the repeat customers, they come back, and buy a meal at full cost."
Too Good to Go officially launches in Charlotte on June 5.
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