BonApp Promotes Zero Food Waste Around the UAE
A simple app with a simple goal in mind; eliminating food waste.
BonApp combines the passion for sustainability with great food. The app offers a convenient solution for food waste. It creates a win-win situation by helping restaurants reduce their waste and allowing consumers to purchase food at a discounted price.
The Dubai-based service was founded by three female foodies who were inspired by The UAE Food Bank and their city’s #ZeroFoodWaste initiative. With the goal to support an underrated cause, BonApp emphasizes the importance of food value and cut F&B food waste as much as possible.
How It Works
To be part of the BonApp movement, first, you have to download the free app on your smart device. Next, hunt for great food from BonApp’s list of partnered cafes and restaurants. The Dubai-based app has over 80 food partners in the UAE. Thirdly, you can select how you would like to enjoy your meal; pick-up, dine-in or delivery.
BonApp’s food partners post deals around the afternoon time. Every restaurant determines the dishes, the discounted percentage and the terms of each deal. For instance, the restaurant will set the collection terms and the details, whether dine in and/or dine out.
Just three months after launching, the app has gained 1,500 customer downloads and saved around 100 kilograms of food. Since then, BonApp has been growing 20 percent month-on-month. Co-founder and managing director, Malin Delin, told The National.
Why We Need More of It
The idea for BonApp has stemmed from UAE’s major food waste problem. An issue caused by the country's strict food safety laws as well as consumer’s complicated and high-quality standards. Erika Daintry, a co-founder of the app, also told The National: “We were at a brunch in Dubai and saw all the remaining food in the buffet, which really made us open our eyes and realize that so much food is wasted.”
The statistics around food wastage in the UAE is frightening. According to Masdar Institute in 2017, about half of the food served in lunch buffets at hotels is wasted. Restaurants in the country waste around 32 percent of their food each year.
As they like to present themselves, BonApp two-fold name is not only short for Bon Appetit but also ‘Bon’ is ‘good’ in French. So, by being part of the BonApp community, you are becoming more and more environmentally friendly and contributing to a better society with more caution towards food waste and maximizing food value in the UAE.