Cirkula, the app that deals with the problem of food waste in restaurants

Each year Peru loses 12.8 million tons of food, which represents 47.6% of the total available for that period. This was reported this year by the Food Bank Peru, on the subject of a investigation published by Sustainability. The shocking figure is worrying, but perhaps not as much as it should. And it is that, to be honest, food waste is a problem that many of us do not know or do not know how to deal with. In this context, Cirkula was born, an app that bets on the sale of surplus food from restaurants, cafes and other establishments with great discounts. A) Yes, Advantage decided to talk with the founder of this application and we will tell you everything you need to know to use it and get the most out of it.

The study “Quantifying Food Loss and Waste in Peru: A Mass Flow Analysis Along the Food Supply Chain”Reveals that each Peruvian consumer discards 67.34 kilograms of food in a period of no more than twelve months. In an arduous crusade to deal with this problem, Michelle Gomberoff creates Circle, a free app similar to Rappi or OrdersYa, where offers and promotions change day by day, depending on what the restaurants offer.

“The idea of Circle It was born when I had the opportunity to see a similar experience with my partner abroad. We begin to analyze and Peru is a gastronomic capital, we have a lot of restaurants. Thus, we ask ourselves What is happening with all the food that can be left over in the hundreds of restaurants in Lima?”Recalls the founder.

According to Gomberoff, 9 out of 10 people don’t really know the impact of food waste. “Obviously, we all know that it is not okay to throw food out, but the environmental impact of throwing food is not known. If you don’t compost it, (the food) breaks down and emits CO2, which is a powerful greenhouse gas, ”he explains.

Circle It was released last year, just before the pandemic. Due to the quarantine, the local allies had to close operations, so they dedicated themselves to strengthening the product technologically speaking and relaunched the app in July of last year. They currently have a community of around 50 thousand users and have managed to rescue more than 10 thousand products, which is equivalent to almost 6 tons of C02 emissions that have been avoided.

How does it work?

Anyone interested in the app, you can download it for free in the App Store or Google Play. Then, you must create a user and, allowing the use of the location, the closest options that have offers or promotions will be displayed. “All options have a minimum of 40% discount, because we are encouraging people to consume quality surplus products ”, clarifies Michelle.

If you read the word surplus you can worry, but Circle is responsible for explaining that “the affiliated establishments undertake to offer the same products of their letters under the same quality standards in accordance with the principles and practices established in the industry ”.

That is, the food or products offered may not have the same visual standards, but the quality, flavor and freshness of any of the dishes is always ensured. “The idea is that restaurants, cafes and other establishments can offer their products of the day so that they are used and users can find delicacies with really affordable prices,” says the creator.

Once you come across the different options, Circle offers complete information on each establishment, as well as how far it is and until what time you can buy a product and pick it up. Depending on the establishment, you can go to the store to pick up what you have bought or you can ask for it to be sent to you via motorized vehicle.

Once you have selected the food you want to buy, you proceed to make the payment through the application. Circle generates an order so that the establishment is notified of the purchase and the user can access it in their history. Finally, you can pick up your order before the cut-off time by showing the order upon arrival at the restaurant.

What can I find?

When we first met CircleWe think that being a relatively new and not so well known app, it would only have restaurants, businesses or small establishments, but this is not the case. They are currently working with almost 100 local partners. There is something for everyone and there is the other great goal they scored. From a coffee shop small in the heart of Residencial San Felipe (Jesús María), up to a well-known steakhouse located in Miraflores. Also passing through establishments that offer ingredients such as peanut butter, vegan products, pasta, among others.

In the field of salty we find from a classic salad to hot bowls, a style of Japanese food run by Donbu. You can also enjoy ceviches and other delicacies of seafood, as well as Makis and sanguches of all kinds. To enjoy meat is The crazy Cow, if you prefer to bet on vegan food, yours is Yalla And if you have a craving for grilled chicken, BirdZ it may be the chosen restaurant.

To enjoy high-end French bakery and pastry is Aroma pan, but if you want to get the classic bread for lunch, you can see what it offers Panicorp or Uncle Pan. Even if you want to venture out to try kombucha, that curious fermented drink, Tayta Fermentos It is also part of the allied brands.

For dessert time you can try the delights of Arawi, maybe from Blueberryoo maybe from Limapostre. And if it’s about getting imported Italian food, The Classic Pasta Factory is the perfect winery for this task offering pasta of all kinds, cheeses, wines, olive oil and other ingredients.

We could write many more paragraphs detailing the succulent dining options, but here the idea is to explain that, as a consumer, Cirkula is an app that suits you for the great offer that it houses, for the good prices that they handle and, of course, because in this way it contributes to face a great problem such as food waste.

Data:

• The sale of products through Cirkula are to take away and not to be consumed on the premises. In any case, they recommend asking the establishment if they can consume the product right there.
• Any restaurant, cafeteria, bakery or establishment can work with Cirkula, you just have to fill out a form on their website cirkulaapp.com