Data show that only about 70% of prepared food is served on average, and the rest cooked but not served, leading to a large quantities of food wastage. This is because cafeterias usually prepare lunch or dinner in advance according to the total number who can eat. However, the number actual dining can vary greatly, according to the vagaries of the day. But now ‘Muglau’ is here to solve this problem.
Muglau, Korean for ‘Do you eat, man?’, makes it possible to find the actual number requiring meals and so prevent food waste. Once you sign into Muglau’s app and register your organization’s designated cafeteria, a nutritionist will send the day’s menu to smart phones in push alarms to all members, two hours before serving, when cooking is about to begin. User can see the day’s menu as well as nutrition facts, a list of the food’s country of origin, and reply whether they are going to dine. By counting replies, canteen staff can prepare the exact amounts of food required.
Major food distribution companies serving lunch to school cafeterias have signed up with Muglau, since it can dramatically reduce food waste and save money. The app can even send menus to parents to prevent their child eating foods to which they are allergic and suggest alternative ingredients to canteen staff.
“A possible alternative to reducing food waste is donating unserved food to a foodbank. However, some food service companies refuse to donate unserved food, due to concerns of food poisoning if it goes to the homeless or nursing homes. But by our efforts, we can reduce food waste and help save the environment,” WOWVentures CEO Yumi Lee said.
The company has been welcomed by a number of institutions wanting to embrace Muglau’s method of meal provision. They participated in the K-Tech conference held in Beijing, during which the company signed a contract with a Chinese food service company. The company recently met with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Preparation Committee to provide a healthy and trusted meals to athletes participating in the games. The Muglau app can be downloaded on GooglePlay or Apple’s App Store.
Image Credit: ShutterStock, Muglau
Editing by Mike Cormack (@bucketoftongues)