The key to reducing food waste lies in better planning. And food waste needs to be stopped at a household level first, then on a larger scale of supermarkets, restaurants, and society at large. A simple system put in place can go very far in reducing food waste, and that’s exactly what F4A.icu (Food4All) has done. 

Spearheaded by Ilana Devillers, F4A.icu enables supermarkets with tackling the food waste issue. As a holistic solution, F4A.icu helps consumers get access to healthy food items via local supermarkets, and provides delicious recipes with those food items all on their nifty mobile app.

We caught up with Ilana Devillers, CEO, and Founder at F4A.icu, to understand what inspired her to start this revolutionary business, how it works, and where it’s going. She also sheds light on how new businesses and startups can navigate during these rather tumultuous times. Read on! 

 

1. What inspired you to start F4A.icu? Tell us the story.

During my law studies in Strasbourg, I made the sad realization that many people often struggle to make ends meet and eat well on a limited budget. After enjoying a dinner made of food products from a dumpster diving, it became evident that simple actions can increase food access and reduce food waste. The idea of enhancing the visibility of close to expiry products emerged and gave birth to F4A standing for Food4All. 

2. What is F4A.icu? How does it work?

F4A standing for Food4All, is a service company aiming to reduce food waste on a supermarket level and ease access to affordable food by promoting close to expiry products and optimizing the food supply chain.

F4A has developed a free of charge application, allowing food distributors to showcase their discounted, close to expiry products to provide consumers with better access to affordable food. The process is straightforward for consumers; they need to download the F4A app from Google Play or the Apple Store, geolocate themselves, and discover nearby partner stores that offer discounts on these products.

They can then select the desired products, add them to their shopping list, and go to the store to finalize their purchases. By downloading the F4A application, consumers can contribute to the fight against food waste while reducing their expenses.

After each download, we plant a tree thanks to the partnership between F4A and Eden Reforestation Project. This is a deeply appreciated initiative by the F4A community. 

3. What are the best ways for households, restaurants, and supermarkets to handle food waste?

The most important point I would like to highlight here is awareness and education. Let us not forget that the largest proportion of food waste occurs on a household level. No matter how much effort restaurants and supermarkets put in place to avoid food waste, if there is no change on a consumer-level – habits and mentality -, the problem will not be solved.

Being conscious of the amount of food that is wasted and being aware of how this could be prevented are certainly the first steps that ought to be undertaken. This is why F4A has put a great deal of emphasis on launching a weekly newsletter to share with its followers’. The newsletter offers readers simple tips and tricks on how to avoid food waste in our kitchen and at home in general.  

Restaurants and supermarkets need to apply measures to predict and better coordinate supply and demand to avoid over-buying and over-stocking. The Ecobox is a great initiative that allows consumers to bring home their leftovers without the need for any single-use packaging. 

4. F4A recently won Startup of the year 2019 by Paperjam and you were featured on the Nasdaq billboard in NYC. How has the journey been so far and what are your future plans?

COVID-19 has certainly not slowed down our fight against food waste. On the contrary, F4A is more confident than ever that this health crisis represents a real opportunity to create the change needed for a healthier and more sustainable future. 

It was a great honor for F4A to be showcased on the Nasdaq billboard in NYC one month before its second anniversary. There could not have been a better way to congratulate the team behind F4A that has been working hard to make the business move forward despite the challenges and constraints.

Today, F4A is proud to claim that it has developed its activities within several supermarket stores in Luxembourg in only two years of existence and expand its team, which grew from 3 to 12 people in only a couple of months.

F4A is now putting a great deal of emphasis on research and development, ensuring a smooth transformation of its legal structure, accelerating its imminent international expansion, continuing its fundraising rounds, and expanding its team.   

5. What advice would you like to share with fellow business owners trying to make their business work during this pandemic?

This period of time is indeed extremely challenging for business owners and entrepreneurs, but it is also an opportunity to observe changes and adapt to new needs. One piece of advice I would like to share today is, believe in your business ideas, persevere, and, most importantly, question yourself and your business ideas regularly.

This will force you to sit back and reflect on the areas of improvement. This is necessary to move on and succeed.  

6. What are your thoughts on the .icu domain extension? How is it helping you build a strong and unique online presence?

The .icu domain extension is very interesting for F4A as it is a generic and an independent domain, which is greatly appreciated. The .icu domain complemented by F4A’s unique branding enables the company to benefit from a strong and fun image that differentiates itself on the market. 

 

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