Sharing Excess: Fighting Food Waste, One Avocado at a Time

In October 2022, Evan Ehlers, founder and executive director of Sharing Excess, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization dedicated to food rescue, received an unexpected call to help rescue 630,000 avocados from Peru, which were days away from being dumped in the landfill. Ehlers soon understood that it would be a race against time, given the perishable nature of avocados. How could he and his team devise a distribution and marketing plan to match the avocados to people and organizations that could use them before they went bad? The challenge was daunting, and the clock was ticking. What could he do to save hundreds of thousands of avocados from being thrown out in a short time frame of 48 hours?

This case is suitable for courses in social entrepreneurship, social impact and, non-profit management, as well as supply chain management and digital marketing courses, especially those that focus on organizations with limited resources. If positioned in a course where students are learning about food sustainability and environmental impact of food waste, it is recommended to complete the pre-work with students prior to case analysis. It works best at the undergraduate level, though it can be adapted to graduate level courses. After completing this case and answering the assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br><ul><li>Understand the scale of food waste globally and recognize its implications on environmental sustainability.</li><li>Identify key stages in the food supply chain where waste occurs and analyze the contributing factors.</li><li>Examine how logistics and distribution challenges prevent edible food from reaching communities.</li><li>Assess the challenges faced by food businesses in donating excess food and the reasons behind their disposal practices.</li><li>Examine potential solutions and strategies for reducing food waste at various stages in the supply chain.</li><li>Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, social media, and digital marketing aimed at raising awareness about food waste and promoting sustainable practices.</li></ul>

• Food waste, sustainability, marketing