Ubifood app aims to curb food waste in Montreal

Like many Montrealers, Caroline Pellegrini is a full-fledged foodie.

But she's the kind of foodie that thinks about more than just taking pretty food picturesand posting them on Instagram.

Her aim is to curb food waste in Montreal.

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Pellegrinidecided she had to do something after seeing how muchwas going into the garbage at a friend's sushi shop.

"I thought it was really sad and alarming,"Pellegrinilamented.

"Piles of sushi boxes were left out at the end of the day at 50 per centoff, and no one was taking advantage of the promotion."

That's what sparked the idea forUbifood.

Ubifood is born

The premise of the appis simple: Allow local eateriesbakeries, cafes, fast food shops to sell their products at a discount, instead of throwing them out at the end of the day or their shelf life.

Through the app, which is currently only available on Apple devices,consumers can see what's on offer nearbyand, if required, pay directly through their phone to reserve their chosen goodie before picking it up in the store.

"Everybody benefits. The consumers, retailers, and the planet all at once," saidPellegrini.

In Canada alone, more than $31 billion worth of food is wasted every year and that number doesn't include food thrown away atfederal institutions nor the environmental cost of dealing with all that food waste.

Search for solutions

Around the world, many countries are looking for ways to grapple with the issue.

In 2015, France made headlines when it passed a bill forbidding supermarkets from destroying unsold food, encouraging them to donate it to charities and food banks instead.

HereIn Montreal, Ubifood is looking to create an accessible way to deal with food waste on a more grassroots level.

So far, it has 20 vendors involved, andCaroline and her team hopeto see that number increase to 100 overthe next few months.

Watch this week's Our Montreal panel above to learn more about Ubifood and other apps that tackle food waste and encourage ethical eating.