This is a guest post by Richard Armstrong who is an early stage investor in many startups in both SE Asia and globally. Plus Richard has cofounded several companies.
Guest Post Series: Richard Armstrong
As a co-founder in the company, Oho, you can say that I’m passionate about food waste. What is Oho you may ask? Haha
Oho (website) is a model where we take excess ready-to-eat food from businesses in Thailand and allow others to order it as delivered meals.
Think of GrabFood, except you get more value for your money because its often coming from a top hotel or restaurant but still priced affordably.
And the hotel or restaurant would have typically thrown away but now they actually get to sell it and earn something. So it is win-win.
The hotel gets money for food they would have thrown away
The customer wins by getting delicious, high quality food for a fraction of its normal price
We get revenue for playing the middle man that handles the logistics
The Size of the Problem
Food waste remains one of the most critical sustainability challenges facing Southeast and South Asia, which together account for nearly 25% of global food wastage.
As rising incomes lead to overconsumption and inefficient food systems, the volume of food loss and waste continues increasing dramatically.
In Thailand alone, an estimated 11 million tonnes of food is wasted annually – with a market value over $9 billion.
Similar patterns emerge across Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India where food waste stems primarily from supply chain inefficiencies and consumer behavior.
It is in part a technology problem
Intense crop spoilage from lack of refrigeration and transport, accompanied by households binning excess food purchases, are key culprits.
As urbanization accelerates and more citizens enter the middle class, experts forecast the quantity of food waste to double within a decade if unaddressed.
The economic, social and environmental repercussions could prove severe.
Runaway food wastage intensifies pressure on natural resources like land and water, while heightening greenhouse emissions from production and decomposition of unused food.
A Market in Need of Reform
Tackling the crisis demands coordinated reforms across several fronts – from modernizing agricultural logistics and storage using technology to regulating food date labels and running public awareness campaigns.
Startups focused on supply chain optimization and food sharing platforms are also springing up. For example in Indonesia you see a whole crop of well funded tech companies like Edenfarm making the relationship between farmer and consumer more direct.
With proactive leadership, Southeast Asia can transform its food systems to minimize wastage while improving food security.
The strategies adopted could catalyze a circular economic revolution benefitting both society and environment. The time for action is now.
Wanna join me in this revolution?
Well Oho is looking for partners.. so reach out!
