Foodsharing is caring - and how else one can save food
Miriam Weitz
April 24, 2023
Foodsharing.de
Perhaps some of you have also experienced this before (it happens to me especially when I go shopping while hungry). Suddenly, in the fridge and/or pantry, there appear to be food items that you don't really like but ended up buying anyway, or you just don't feel like eating them and their best before date is about to expire. So, should you just throw them away, right? However, that definitely doesn't have to be the case. Either you get creative with cooking or you use the platform Foodsharing.de.
The association Foodsharing e.V. aims to reduce the amount of food that ends up in the trash. The platform has been around since 2012 and was able to launch thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. According to its homepage, it now has approximately 200,000 users in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other European countries. The platform collaborates with businesses, such as supermarkets or bakeries, and individuals can also share baskets of food with others. Registration is easy and free via the homepage. However, there is no app available.
Motatos.de
The platform Motatos.de was founded in 2014, initially under the name Matsmarkt in Sweden. At first, the three founders Erik, Kalle, and Uffe were still packing boxes in their home basement - the quintessential start-up classic.
At Motatos, food items are sold that may have a production error on the packaging or are being discontinued. The online store offers the goods at 20% to 80% cheaper than in regular commerce. The ordering process is relatively easy, and payment can be made with PayPal, among other methods. However, Motatos does not offer fresh goods, but the selection of other products is huge. Sometimes the assortment changes daily. The platform delivers free of charge for orders over 45 euros, and delivery is within the usual time frames - so relatively fast (unless the postal service is on strike again). By the way, during the ordering process, you can also see how much you have saved. Motatos also offers bulk packages - which is especially beneficial for people who want to build up a stockpile.
On review portals, one often reads that goods arrive damaged. I have ordered from Motatos myself and so far everything has arrived intact - including a bottle of olive oil.
Sirplus
Sirplus ist ein Lebensmittel-Retter Start-up mit Sitz in Berlin. Bekannt wurde das Unternehmen durch den Auftritt aus „Höhle der Löwen“ - der ein wenig eskaliert ist. Sirplus ist nicht ganz unumstritten - was unter anderem an der Sache mit den ehemaligen „Rettermärkten“ liegt. Früher gab es neben dem Onlineshop auch fünf physische Läden in Berlin, in denen gerettete Lebensmittel gekauft werden konnten. Ende 2021 war damit aber Schluss, rund 50 Mitarbeiter verloren ihren Job. Das Prinzip von Sirplus ist ähnlich wie das von Motatos. Das Unternehmen kauft Restposten ein und verkauft diese weiter. Neben den „üblichen Verdächtigen“ bietet Sirplus allerdings auch Obst und Gemüse sowie Boxen im Abo an.
Too Good to Go
With the help of the Too Good to Go app, one can save food from restaurants, stores, or cafes. Often, at the end of the day, there is quite a bit left over that would otherwise have to be thrown away. The stores or the gastronomy offer so-called "Surprise-Bags" through the app. Users can reserve these and pick them up before the store closes. However, the name 'Surprise Bag' is quite literal. You don't know exactly what you're going to get beforehand. The app is available for free in the App Store, and the prices for the surprise bags are reasonable. The creators of Too Good to Go collaborate with companies and restaurants nationwide in Germany. Even in the village where I live, offers are available.
Pantry.App
A little self-promotion is necessary ;)
With the Speisekammer.App, Matthias Schmid and his team want to declare war on food waste. The app serves as a "digital pantry" and helps users keep track of which food items they have at home and which products are nearing the expiration of their best-before date. Food items can be easily added using the integrated barcode scanner. There is also the option to assign a specific storage location, so that, for example, nothing ever gets lost in the icy depths of the freezer again. The app is simple and intuitive to use, which was particularly important to Matthias Schmid. There is a free and a premium version of the app.
Smantry: Not perfect – but made with a lot of heart
Many of our users write to us that theyhave been looking for exactly this kind of app for a long time. At the same time, we also read reviews that say:“Good idea, but …”
And that’s exactly what we want to talk about openly today.
An app for everyday life – not for perfection
Smantry is designed to make everyday life easier: manage groceries, stay on top of things, waste less.
Your feedback shows us that this is already working well for many of you:
- Inputs are quick and straightforward
- The scanner reliably detects most products
- Editing and making changes is easy
- Our support is perceived as fast, friendly, and solution-oriented
We’re really glad to hear that – because that’s exactly what we’re building Smantry for.
Why some things are (still) not perfect
What you often don’t see from the outside: Smantry is developed by a very small team.
Right now we are 5 people, and none of us works full-time on the app. We do this alongside other projects, jobs, and commitments – with a lot of passion, but limited resources.
That doesn’t explain everything, but it provides context:
- Some functions take longer
- Technical issues (e.g. with premium activations) unfortunately happen sometimes
- Not every idea can be implemented right away
Frequently asked questions from your reviews
Why a subscription?
The subscription allows us to cover server costs, ongoing development, updates, and support in the first place. Without continuous revenue, Smantry would not be able to exist in the long term.
"Why isn’t the bug I reported being fixed?"
Sometimes there are several bugs at the same time and we have to prioritize the ones that affect core functions. That can mean that a different bug gets fixed first. We always try to resolve everything quickly – but unfortunately we can only do it step by step.
Why doesn’t Premium sometimes work right away?
Subscriptions are managed through the app stores. In rare cases, synchronization issues can occur. That’s annoying, but not intentional – our support team will always help you with this personally.
Where we want to go
Smantry is meant to get better – not just on paper, but in real everyday life.
This includes:
- more features from the web app
- better stability
- more flexibility with categories
- clearer communication
Your feedback plays a central role in this.
In conclusion
We’re not a corporation.
We’re a small team that believes in a good idea and is putting it into practice step by step.
If Smantry is helping you – even if everything isn’t perfect yet – we really appreciate your trust, your feedback, and of course a fair rating in the App Store 💛
Thank you for being part of this development.
Power outage in Berlin: Why preparation and prepping are more important today than ever
An unexpected power outage in Berlin has recently shown how quickly our daily life can become unbalanced. Traffic lights went out, card payments stopped working, and many households were suddenly without light, internet, or cooking facilities. Such events highlight: emergency preparedness and prepping are not about spreading panic, but rather a sensible and responsible preparation for real risks.
Power Outage – A Real Risk for Major Cities
Whether it's technical malfunctions, construction work, or extreme weather conditions: A Blackout or regional power outage can occur at any time. Especially in large cities like Berlin, the effects are immediately noticeable. Without electricity, many basic systems no longer function – from supermarkets to ATMs to communication.
The most important question is:
Am I prepared for this?
Prepping: Preparedness instead of fear
Prepping does not mean preparing for apocalyptic scenarios. Rather, it's about everyday readiness:
- remain capable of acting
- be able to provide for the family
- Reduce stress and uncertainty
- not be immediately dependent on external help
The power outage in Berlin demonstrates: Just a few hours without electricity can cause major problems.
Stockpiling food as a key to emergency preparedness
A well-thought-out food supply is the foundation of any emergency preparedness. Experts recommend having supplies for at least 7 to 14 days. These include:
- non-perishable food items such as rice, pasta, canned goods
- Drinking water
- long shelf-life snacks
- Baby food or special diet
- off-grid cooking options (e.g., gas stoves)
Yet many households quickly lose track: What's available? What's missing? What's about to expire?
Digital preparation with the Smantry App
Here comes the Smantry App into play – your digital companion for prepping, preparation, and stockpiling. The app helps you to plan your supplies in a structured way and to keep track at all times.
With the Smantry App you can:
- Easily capture food supplies digitally
- Define minimum quantities for emergencies
- Monitor expiration dates and prevent food waste
- prepare specifically for power outages, blackouts, and crises
- Integrating prepping step by step into daily life
This makes emergency preparedness simple, transparent, and efficient.
Prepare now instead of improvising later:
👉 Download the Smantry App and start your digital emergency preparedness today.
Power outage in Berlin as a wake-up call
The power outage in Berlin was an eye-opener for many people. It demonstrates how quickly familiar structures can collapse – and how important it is to be prepared. Those who take precautions in time remain calm, safe, and independent.
Conclusion: Take precautions now instead of reacting later
Power outages, supply shortages, and crises are part of the reality of our time. With a well-thought-out food stockpiling and digital tools like the Smantry App you can make your emergency preparedness simple and effective.
👉 Start your preparation now
Download the Smantry App and gradually build up your personal emergency preparedness – before the next power outage occurs.
Discover the app now and be prepared.
🍂 Cozy Autumn Leftover Cooking – Comfort dishes made from what's available
When the rain taps on the window and the tea cup becomes a permanent guest, the most beautiful kitchen time of the year begins: autumn. And what could be a better match than stylish leftover cooking – dishes that are not only sustainable but also truly exciting.
Autumn leftover cooking means: use instead of waste, but with a touch of sophistication. Here are some more unusual ideas to turn leftovers into small culinary highlights.
🧀 1. Pumpkin Gnocchi from leftover roasted vegetables
Do you have some leftover roasted pumpkin or sweet potato from the day before? Perfect!
Mash the vegetables, mix them with some flour, salt, and grated Parmesan, shape them into small gnocchi, and briefly cook them in salted water until they float to the surface. Then toss them in sage butter and top with chopped walnuts.
→ Tastes like Italy, looks like fine dining – and it's all made from leftovers!
🥖 2. Rustic bread salad with grapes and goat cheese
Tear stale bread into pieces, toast in olive oil until golden brown.
Add a few grapes (wrinkled ones are especially sweet), arugula or lamb's lettuce, crumbled goat cheese, and roasted hazelnuts. Mix with a dressing of balsamic vinegar, honey, and mustard.
→ A fall twist on the classic Panzanella – sweet, salty, crunchy, perfect!
🧅 3. French onion tart with leftover vegetables and puff pastry
Got some leftover puff pastry in the fridge? Make a tart out of it!
Caramelize onions in butter, add some leftover vegetables (e.g., leeks, mushrooms, or spinach). Spread on the pastry, top with a dollop of sour cream or cream cheese, and bake until golden brown.
→ Wonderfully aromatic, especially with thyme or rosemary.
🍎 4. Apple Sourdough French Toast with Vanilla Rum Butter
A piece of stale sourdough bread is soaked in a mixture of milk, egg, vanilla, and a dash of rum, fried in a pan, and served with fried apple slices and a rum butter.
→ Luxurious, yet made entirely from leftovers – perfect for a Sunday breakfast in pajamas.
🥬 5. Risotto made from leftover vegetables with lemon and herb oil
Chop the vegetable scraps finely and cook with a handful of rice into a creamy risotto.
A dash of lemon juice and some leftover herbs (parsley, basil, arugula) blended with oil make a fresh herb oil as a topping.
→ The acidity of the lemon beautifully enhances the earthy autumnal notes.
☕️ Bonus Tip: Using leftovers in a dessert glass
A few spoons of leftover compote?
Some leftover cake or cookies?
Layer it all with yogurt or mascarpone in a glass – and you have an autumnal "trifle" that looks like it came straight from a café in Copenhagen.
🍁 Conclusion
Autumnal leftover cooking is not a last resort, but a playground for creativity. When you look at ingredients with open eyes – not as leftovers, but as opportunities – small, exquisite dishes full of soul and flavor emerge.
Why we never stop refining Smantry ✨
At Smantry, we don't believe in 'finished'.
An app that is meant to accompany people in their daily lives is never complete – it grows, changes, and evolves. Just like the people who use it. 💛
We regularly pay attention to every detail:
How does a click feel? Is the path to a function clear enough? Does the idea behind a new view come across intuitively?
Sometimes it's just tiny things that make the difference – a better-placed button, a simplified overview, or a sentence that suddenly becomes clearer.
What drives us is the idea that Smantry should feel easy, familiar, and meaningful.
We want you to open the app and feel: "Ah, this is exactly how it should work."
Of course, not everything always goes perfectly. But that's exactly the point: We take the time to listen, to observe, to reconsider. Every piece of feedback, every use case, every new idea helps us to understand a little better what really matters.
Smantry is not a rigid product for us – it's a living process. A collaborative project that grows step by step.
And every update, every small improvement is a sign that we are on the right track:
A path to an app that doesn't feel like technology, but like support.
Towards a daily life that becomes simpler. Towards clarity, structure – and maybe even a bit of ease. 🌿
We're staying on it.
Because we are convinced that good things take time – and that it's worth creating them with heart.
Your
Smantry-Team