Mapping of Social Impact

Visualising a strategy for social impact

The Context

In urban cities of Indian subcontinent, the consumption of fruits and vegetables in seen on a decline. The rising arena of choices among many pre-packaged, processed or junk food options on the go are creating a generation devoid of essential nutrients and many ailments. On the other end India is also one of the top producers of fruits and vegetables in the world, yet the consumption percentage being low a lot ends up wasted or rotten, leaving many on the streets starving.

Identifying the opportunity for impact

Problems of wastage of fruits

India loses an estimated 40 percent of its fruit and vegetables to rot because of a lack of refrigerated trucking, poor roads, inclement weather and corruption.

Fruit and vegetables rot as hunger stalks India.

Post-harvest food losses of the scale found in India are a problem throughout the developing world and translate into lower incomes for farmers and higher prices for consumers. Inflation is already undermining living standards across Asia with world food prices at record highs since December last year, according to the UN food agency. In India, home to more than a third of the world's 150 million malnourished children under 5, food inflation reached nearly 10 percent in July.

About 40-50% of the total output valued of $440 billion ends up being

wasted every year in India.

Strategy of impact

Back-end

Beyond Fresh Fruits aims to create a system of immediate consumption of fruits post cutting by not letting the Grade B fruits reach a stage of rotting or wastage. This will be made possible through collaborations with local street vendors who have no storage facility and have to sell off their purchase on a daily basis. This will generate employment and fair-trade.

From the end of the company, not investing in a system of storage and manpower of overlooking the purchased fruits (in bulk) this system will create a fast growing local network of many individuals who can pose as extended manpower for the company posing as a “cost-cutting” yet for-profit system. These collaborations will create new empathetic employment opportunities.

Creating new value to unlock the way fruits are bought and if left unattended rot, the major concern of the company would be to spread in divided attention. The local vendors in return become a part of a regular chain of supply, having a bigger purchasing power associated to unload a burden of everyday wastage from their profits. The system also introduces them to a new, more technologically savvy undertaking of daily activities.

Front-end

The company identifies “fruit-desserts” in the daily life of urban dwellers for whom the attention to buy-care and invest in the purchasing time and selection of fruits is decreasing. Bringing healthier meal options to working and student communities in urban cities that need it desperately (social value) by entering important new markets (business value) is an aim for faster expansion of the company.

The company provides subscription based meal plans for the customers, this brings a more deeper and serious association to the agenda of BFF, positioning it in a segment of regular habitual formations by changing the perception of health-value as not momentarily but long-term effort. This aims to create a new form of value through socially desirable outcomes aimed for the achievement of young clients.

This proposal is backed by personalized glass jars as an entry in the subscription, creating a more loyal customer, along with proposing the idea of a sustainable and friendly system.

Through continuous exchange of jars on a daily basis. This develops a sense of ownership in the young client through the brands consistency, supporting a change of behavior in the arena of consumption and dumping. Not just saying “green” but being one and passing on the idea through a good habit.

Finally, the idea of a chain reaction to generate two concepts of social innovation in the front & back end of the business will lead to an overall social arbitration, through an enterprise for-profit creating socially desirable outcomes.

Activism and Civic Participation

The People Local area Fruit vendors

Street vendors in India provide a vital link between the producer and the consumer, Connecting the two in highly innovative, cost efficient ways-- keeping in view regional specificities as well as varied requirements of people during different seasons, festivals as well as time of the day or night. As per the National Policy for Street Vendors, nearly 2.5% of urban population is involved in street vending and hawking. This means this occupation provides livelihood to nearly one crore persons in India. With an average of four dependents per vendor, the survival of five crore people is dependent on street trading. Calculated at an average daily turnover of Rs 1100 per day per vendor, the total turnover of one crore street vendors in India would be a whopping Rs 1100 crores per day.

Nearly 1.5% of urban population is involved in street vending of fruits and vegetables in India, providing occupation to nearly half a crore persons in India.

Their problems

Local fruit and vegetable markets in urban cities of india such as gandhinagar and ahmedabad face a lot of wastage due to weather related problems which are unavoidable at many levels. But at an average about 5% of the weekly stock rots and has to be sold off at low price either low income groups or hotel and restaurant chains that buy in bulk.

The awareness of the stage of quality of fruit is acquired by the seller over years and observation, this helps him decide the daily market price of the fruit.

5% of the weekly stock of local independent fruit vendors rots and has to be sold off at low price or thrown away.

Social Interactions and Relations

Building a network of local fruit vendors to create a co-operative society of lending and procuring fruits at a daily basis.

Production, Distribution and Consumption

Reducing the carbon footprint to an extent via removing plastic from the chain.

Utilizing glass jars instead of plastic bottles.

The jars are exchanged with each meal in subscription.

City and Environmental Planning

Making the student sensitive towards their environment via providing glass jars which can be recycled. The jars can be later utilized for different purposes.

Skill Training and Design Education

Bringing behavioral change among students

Taking charge of their own health via cleaning your own jars after eating.

Job Creation

Trainee from various institutes, people interested in food, health and nutrition.