Kigüi and Nestlé México Sign Deal to Combat Food Waste

Kigüi, a startup dedicated to combating food waste, has recently entered into a partnership with Nestlé México through its innovation ecosystem “All In.” This collaboration aims to promote the purchase of products for immediate consumption, as part of the shared goal to address the challenge of food wastage due to expiration dates in supermarkets and convenience stores. This initiative will be implemented through a pilot program aimed at supporting projects that have a positive impact on sustainability.

Through Kigüi’s free app, consumers are invited to access products nearing their expiration dates but are still in perfect condition for consumption. In return, users can receive cashbacks of up to 40% of the product’s value, depending on the remaining time before expiration. Upon scanning their purchase receipt, users receive the cashback directly deposited into their preferred bank account.

In 2023, Kigüi achieved notable results with 120,000 registered users purchasing over 250,000 products close to expiration, leading to a reduction of approximately 444.75 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by food production and decomposition.

Mónica Campos, Innovation Ecosystem Head at Nestlé México, emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges faced by the food industry. She stated, “Adopting technologies like Kigüi will not only benefit our company but can also encourage industry peers to implement similar solutions, ultimately aiding in the reduction of food waste in Mexico.”

Sustainability in the food industry remains a pressing issue, with 17% of available food for consumers ending up as waste, contributing to 8% of human-caused environmental pollution, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Kigüi’s model offers various benefits, including preventing the waste of products in good condition, reducing returns at points of sale, and enabling consumers to save on everyday purchases.

Meanwhile, Nestlé, guided by its commitment to sustainability, has initiated a pilot program to incentivize the sale of short-dated products that can be utilized before their expiration. This program aims to gradually incorporate various products from Nestlé’s portfolio through the “All In” innovation ecosystem.

More information about Nestlé’s program can be found here.