Food Surplus
Surplus food, half the price — rescued before it's wasted.
Industry
FoodTech / Social Impact
Business Type
B2B2C Marketplace
Duration
8 months
Year
2023
Services
Full-Stack Mobile Development, Marketplace Engineering, Backend Development, Cloud Infrastructure (AWS)
Tech Stack
Flutter · Firebase · Node.js · AWS
Client Overview
About the Project
Food Surplus is a UAE-based food rescue mobile app that connects restaurants and event caterers — who have unsold food at the end of the day or after weddings and events — with consumers and NGOs who can purchase it at half price, ensuring surplus food reaches people who need it instead of going to waste.
The platform addresses a significant food waste problem in the UAE, where restaurants and event venues regularly discard large quantities of perfectly edible food at the end of service, with no efficient channel to redistribute it quickly.
SaaSify Labs delivered full-stack mobile development for Food Surplus — the Flutter mobile app, Firebase/Node.js backend, and AWS infrastructure — shipping the platform in 8 months in 2023.
The Challenge
What Problem We Solved
Restaurants and event caterers in the UAE had no practical channel to offload surplus food at the end of the day — unsold meals and event leftovers were regularly discarded simply because there was no fast, reliable way to list and sell them before they expired.
Existing food platforms weren't built for last-minute surplus redistribution at discounted prices, and NGOs had no reliable way to access bulk surplus food from venues and restaurants in real time.
What We Built
Core Features Delivered
Surplus Food Listings
Restaurants and caterers can list surplus food in minutes at the end of service, with price, quantity, and pickup window.
Half-Price Marketplace
Consumers browse and purchase surplus meals and event food at half price directly through the app.
NGO Access Portal
NGOs can access and claim bulk surplus food listings, ensuring it reaches people in need.
Real-Time Availability
Live inventory updates ensure listings reflect what's actually available before the pickup window closes.
Product Screens
The Product in Action
The Impact
Before & After
Area
Before SaaSify
After SaaSify
Surplus food fate
Restaurants and caterers discarded unsold food at the end of every service
Surplus listed and sold in minutes at half price before the pickup window closes
NGO access
No reliable channel for NGOs to access bulk surplus food from UAE venues
Dedicated NGO portal for claiming surplus food listings in real time
Consumer access
No way for consumers to buy quality surplus meals at a discount
Half-price marketplace for surplus restaurant and event food
How We Built It
Our Development Process
Discovery & Impact Mapping
Mapped the UAE food surplus ecosystem — restaurants, event caterers, consumers, and NGOs — to design the right marketplace flows.
UI/UX Design
Designed an intuitive listing and discovery experience for both food providers and buyers.
Backend & Marketplace Engine
Built the Node.js/Firebase backend powering real-time listings, pricing, and NGO access.
Mobile App Development
Built the Flutter mobile app for both food providers and consumers/NGOs.
QA & Launch
Tested real-time listing accuracy and pickup flow reliability before deploying on AWS.
The Results
What We Achieved Together
8 months
From kickoff to delivery
~50%
Average discount on surplus food vs. original price
UAE
First dedicated food rescue marketplace in the region (estimated)
~30%
Reduction in end-of-day food waste for partner restaurants (estimated)
SaaSify Labs helped us bring our mission to life by building a platform that makes surplus food more accessible while reducing waste. Their team delivered a seamless experience and was a trusted partner from start to finish.
Sultan
Founder, Food Surplus
How we helped
Services Behind This Project
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