La Soupe, a nonprofit in Cincinnati, Ohio, is working to fight hunger by turning food waste into meals for those in need.

Launched in 2014 by Chef Suzy DeYoung, La Soupe partners with grocers, distributors, farmers, and restaurants who donate food that would otherwise go to waste and creates soup to feed people experiencing food insecurity.

“Our society is built on the expectation that our stores should always be stocked with every possible variation of every ingredient,” DeYoung tells Food Tank. She explains that while grocers do their best to minimize waste while meeting consumer demand, they are still forced to toss food.

La Soupe helps to rescue food by dispatching volunteers to their partners when they report a surplus. Chefs then transform the rescued ingredients into soup, which DeYoung deems “one of the most universal comfort foods” that is “near impossible to make for one person.”

The meals are distributed by more volunteers to over 100 partner pantries and other agencies across Cincinnati. As part of their Bucket Brigade Program, they also partner with local chefs, who rescue produce from their own restaurants and La Soupe to transform into meals.

In addition to sharing meals, La Soupe shares their knowledge. The average American household spends US$1,866 annually on food that will be wasted, according to a study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. La Soup is working to provide culinary education through their Give a Crock Cooking Classes and Cooking Improv which provide lessons to help people prevent food waste at home.

Read the full article about addressing food waste and food insecurity by Sophie Churchill at Food Tank.