In many cities throughout Kosovo, good food is thrown away every day. It happens quietly, at the end of the day, when restaurants, bakeries, and shops have food left that cannot be sold the next morning.
At the same time, many people are struggling with the cost of living and are forced to think carefully about every euro they spend.
This is the problem I wanted to address in Kosovo: Reducing food waste while helping people access food more affordably and with dignity through a digital food-rescue platform that connects businesses with community members.
Food items close to expiry or left at the end of the day can be listed on the platform at a reduced price, with clear information about pickup time, quantity, and location.
The goal is to create a practical digital tool that helps people, businesses, and community actors work together on a real local problem.
The problem is visible, but not always measured
Food waste is something many of us see, but Kosovo still lacks comprehensive national data on how much food shops and restaurants discard each day. A desk review by the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, cited by the United Nations in Kosovo, found that between two and 20 percent of food served in restaurants is left on plates, depending on the style of service.
This suggests that the problem can be substantial, but the lack of consistent data makes its full scale difficult to understand and address. A bakery may have bread left at closing time. A restaurant may prepare more food than it sells. A small shop may have products that are still safe to use but close to their expiration date.
Very often, this food ends up being discarded.
At the same time, many households are under serious financial pressure. According to the World Bank’s April 2026 Macro Poverty Outlook, an estimated nine percent of Kosovo’s population lived below the international poverty line of USD 3 per day in 2025. The report also notes that food accounts for 64 percent of total consumption among the poorest 10 percent of households, making them especially vulnerable to rising food prices. For them, access to affordable food is not a small issue. It affects daily life, dignity, and well-being.
What makes this problem even more important is that both sides already exist in the same community. On one side, there is surplus food. On the other side, there are people in need who could benefit from more affordable prices. The missing link is coordination, trust, and a simple way to connect them.
This is where technology can help.
A platform built around dignity, not charity
The platform this project is building will allow participating restaurants, bakeries, and shops to post offers of surplus food. These listings can include what food is available, the reduced price, the pickup window, and any other important information.
People in the community can view available offers through a mobile-friendly web platform. People do not need to download an app from the App Store or use a high-end phone. They only need a browser.
When designing the project, we aimed to preserve people’s dignity. The platform is not a charity system where people are labeled or exposed. It makes seeking affordable options feel normal, respectful, and simple. If someone buys food at a reduced price because it would otherwise go to waste, that should not carry shame. It is a smart, community-minded action.
Privacy is important as well. The platform will collect only the information needed to create an account and complete a reservation, such as a user’s name, email address, city or area, an optional phone number for pickup coordination, and reservation details including the selected listing, quantity, and pickup time. Food providers will provide basic business and contact information. The platform will not ask community users to disclose their income, employment status, or reasons for seeking reduced-cost food. Any reporting or public learning from the project will use anonymized data, not personal details.
Community collaboration
The bigger value is local participation and transparency. The platform can bring different groups together: Businesses, residents, community organizations, volunteers, and potentially local institutions. Each has a role. Businesses can reduce waste. Residents can access food more affordably. Community actors can help reach people who may not normally benefit from digital tools.
Over time, the project can raise awareness around food waste. For example, it can help better understand when surplus food is most available, what types of food are often left over, and where access gaps exist. This kind of anonymized data can support better conversations about food waste, social support, and local responsibility.
In that way, the platform becomes more than a technical product. It becomes a small civic space where people can coordinate around a shared problem.
The main beneficiaries are low-income families, youth, students, unemployed people, and others who are in search of more affordable food options.
At the same time, the project serves local businesses. Many small food businesses do not want to throw away usable food. Sometimes they simply do not have an easy system to redistribute it. By giving them a simple digital channel, they can reduce waste and show social responsibility in a practical way.
The involvement of community groups and local partners also matters because digital tools alone are not enough. If people do not trust the platform, understand how to use it, or feel excluded, then the technology will not have a real impact. Outreach and feedback will be part of the process from the beginning.
Measuring success
The project can be deemed successful even if a small number of businesses start using the platform instead of throwing away food.
It would mean that people in the community can access meals or food supplies at a lower cost. It would mean that users feel respected, not judged.
It is also important for the platform to create data for useful learning.
How much food was listed? How many pickups happened? What barriers did people face? What feedback did businesses give?
The answers to these questions can help improve the project and also support future conversations with partners, donors, or local institutions.
The real expected outcome is a shift in thinking: Surplus food is not just waste, and affordable food access is not only a private problem. It is something the community can organize around.
