MUNCH App
About this good practice
The Munch app was conceived by two startups in 2020. Their goal was to prevent food waste, as the food waste rate in Hungary at that time was over 60 kg per person. The two young people also realised that a significant proportion of this food could still be consumed, because it was left over in a restaurant, bakery or pastry shop.
The way the App works is based on the registration of service providers and customers. Restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops can register as providers, offering leftover but good quality food at a discount instead of throwing it away. Customers can then find the Munch (food for sale) nearest to them according to their geographical location. The discount is between 30 and 40%. A portion of the Munch is donated to people in need.
The app was initially piloted in one region, but later became available in the whole of Hungary, and the developers are currently working to make it available in as many countries as possible, Slovenia and Slovakia being already among them.
Resources needed
Creating the application and maintaining the interface requires financial resources. This initially cost €8,500 and has since become a maintenance cost of €2,500 per year. A significant part of the funding was own resources, a smaller part was provided by angel investors.
Evidence of success
The main indicators of success of the programme are the following: 1.000.000+ portion of saved food; preventing the emission of 1600+ tons of greenhouse gases; 11.500+ food delivered to people in need; 580.000 EUR saved with munching; Thousands of registered member;
Potential for learning or transfer
The app is very easy to use and because munchok has nationwide coverage, the products on offer are available within a few kilometres or a few hundred metres.
People using the app form a real green community and receive continuous feedback through the app, making them even more aware.
It is used by all classes, but the majority are those who are comfortable in the digital world.
Why it's worth adopting good practice: it's relatively cheap to set up, reaches a large number of people, has community-building power, produces measurable results, is free to register and use the app, and by discovering munches, it makes service providers more visible, thus indirectly contributing to local economic development.