Northern Ireland pioneered anti-food waste app expands internationally with Australia launch

Northern Ireland-pioneered anti food waste app, Gander has expanded internationally with a recent launch in the Queensland and Victoria areas of Australia.

An innovative, real-time mobile technology platform, Gander is already well established throughout the UK. It presents an innovative solution that connects shoppers with yellow label food items and provides substantial savings while significantly reducing food waste in supermarkets and grocery stores.

For the first time in Australia, local consumers will have the ability to check what’s on sale in their local supermarkets and actively help to reduce food waste.

Gander has partnered with retailers, Spano’s IGA and Country Grocers to bring this sustainable solution to life in stores in Queensland and Victoria.

These supermarket groups are the first retailers in the country to embrace Gander's technology and spearhead the movement towards a net-zero independent retail sector, in line with the government’s goal to halve food waste by 2030.

Tim Brown, one of the founders of Gander Australia, said: “Typically, retailers have to rely on shoppers sporadically finding a markdown in store while preoccupied with their shopping. Therefore, on average, less than half of the food marked-down in stores is sold, leaving the rest to become surplus.

“For retailers, reduced food can cost them up to 7% of their turnover. At a time when margins are being squeezed, this is revenue sitting on their shelves that local shoppers would love to buy, they just don’t know it is there.”

Via a one-time integration with the retailer’s Point-of-Sale system, Gander showcases a live and accurate feed of what’s available in store on the app.

As soon as a product is stickered in store with a new markdown label, it appears on the Gander app for consumers to browse through and search for. Similarly, when that item is sold or no longer available it is automatically removed from the app, providing shoppers with an instant feed of all markdowns on the shelves at any time.

Tim continued: “Gander puts this information in the hands of significantly more motivated shoppers, which in turn will increase footfall and sales of reduced products, growing revenue otherwise lost to waste.

“According to recent analysis conducted by UBS, the average Australian grocery bill increased year on year by 9.6%.

“Gander will provide Australians with access to quality food, ready to be consumed or frozen for a later date, discounted up to 75% in order to save money, whilst allowing them to feel they are positively addressing the problem of food wastage. A win, win.”

Currently, retailers rely on shoppers sporadically finding markdowns in store, resulting in over half of this food going to waste.

With Gander, this food is automatically shown to consumers, motivating them to nip in and bag a bargain. This not only enables significant savings on groceries but also supports retailers in their efforts to reduce food waste and minimise their carbon footprint.

Each year, the Australian retail sector contributes approximately 286,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill. As this waste decomposes, it releases methane –a greenhouse gas that is even more potent than carbon dioxide.

Holistically, food waste accounts for 3% of Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions thus feeding climate change, while one-third of Australian households face food insecurity.

Having first launched in the UK in 2019, Gander has already proven a success in over 500 stores in the UK, saving 25 million food items from becoming waste in store.

It is now also committed to addressing Australia’s food waste problem and to alleviating pressure on households due to rising living costs.

The Gander app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.