Specialized & reverse logistics

Efficient logistics for food donation

Logio partnered with Save the Food (Zachraň jídlo), a Czech non profit focused on reducing food waste, to design an efficient distribution strategy for donating ready meals from canteens to people in need.

Outcome

Using proprietary distribution scenario modeling, Logio simulated and evaluated 198 scenarios, chose the three most effective options, and provided a flexible model that supports clear, practical guidance on how to donate ready meals.

Approximate monthly value of saved lunches

0 EUR

About Save the Food (Zachraň jídlo)

Save the Food (Zachraň jídlo) is a Czech non profit organisation founded in 2013 that focuses on reducing food waste, one of the most pressing social and environmental issues. It raises awareness through campaigns, workshops and public events, and develops practical projects that enable food donation from retailers and canteens.

The organisation advocates for systemic change and has contributed to legislative adjustments that require supermarkets to donate unsold food and clarify rules for donating cooked meals, while its activities have already saved hundreds of tonnes of food.

Founded in 2013 as a Prague based non profit focused on reducing food waste in the Czech Republic.

Has already helped save hundreds of tonnes of food from being discarded.

Through the “Save the Lunch” project, has facilitated donation of more than 78 000 full lunches since 2022.

Initial challenge

According to the UN, up to one third of all food produced globally is wasted, with serious economic and environmental impacts. Save the Food wanted to find a way to donate surplus ready meals from canteens efficiently and safely, despite complex rules and unclear logistics.

Project goal

The goal was to create a comprehensive interpretation of the rules and clear guidance for donating ready meals, supported by a robust distribution strategy and a practical model that organisations can reuse when setting up their own donation schemes.

Solution

Modeling donation logistics with distribution scenarios

Logio acted as expert guarantor for distribution strategy and used its proprietary distribution scenario modeling software to design efficient donation routes and operational setups for ready meal donation.

Analysed the current situation

and constraints around donating ready meals, including legislative requirements and practical limits on how canteens and charities can operate.

Built a model example

in Logio’s distribution scenario software to represent the donation flows between canteens and recipient organisations.

Simulated 198 different distribution scenarios

in the model and evaluated each option, focusing on efficiency, feasibility and risk.

Selected the three best variants

and clearly described their advantages and possible risks so that decision makers could choose the most suitable setup.

Used the chosen variants

and insights from the analysis to support the document “Donating ready meals, analysis of the current situation” and the practical guide “How to donate ready meals?”

Simulation & Flow Analysis

Distribution Concepts

Impact

Less food waste, more meals for people in need

198 scenarios tested

Logio simulated 198 different distribution scenarios to explore how best to organise the flows between canteens and charities.

Three efficient options for donation logistics

From all modelled scenarios, Logio selected three optimal variants and documented both their strengths and risks to support informed decisions.

Reusable and flexible decision model

The proposed model can be reused and adapted even when project parameters change, with the ability to handle a very large number of variables.

€19,400 of lunches saved every month

The project supports a setup in which lunches worth €19,400 per month from 8 school canteens do not have to be thrown away and can instead be donated.

Practical guide on donating ready meals published

Save the Food has published the much needed practical guide “How to donate ready meals?”, using the analysis and modeled scenarios as a foundation.

Design a smarter way to donate surplus food

If you are looking for a structured way to turn surplus meals into meaningful help, we can support you with distribution concepts, scenario modeling and practical guidance. Share your challenge and we will explore how to build an efficient, scalable donation setup together.

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