Komal Ahmad, once a student of the University of California, Berkeley and a Navy midshipman, has transformed the way we think about and manage food waste.

Although her South Asian immigrant background steered her towards conventional professions like medicine or law, her true calling was discovered on a seemingly ordinary day in Berkeley. An encounter with a starving veteran named John, freshly returned from Iraq and awaiting benefits, illuminated the stark contrast between the abundance of wasted food from the nearby UC Berkeley dining hall and those, like John, desperate for a meal.

Ahmad observed, “Across the street, tons of edible food was being discarded daily while someone like John starved. The real problem isn’t a scarcity of food, but an ineffective distribution system.”

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Ahmad cited an analogy, “Every day, America wastes enough food to fill a football stadium. It’s not about insufficient food – it’s about logistics.”

To address what she terms “the world’s dumbest problem,” Ahmad met with UC Berkeley dining-hall managers. Upon learning of their fears of legal liabilities for donating leftover food, she educated them about the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. This act protects donors from legal repercussions when donating excess food. Consequently, one of the first food recovery organizations on a college campus emerged.

Recounting a particularly chaotic day, Ahmad said, “With 500 sandwiches to distribute and limited time, I reached out to various non profits. Some weren’t responsive, while others needed only a fraction of what was available.” This led to her eureka moment: a virtual marketplace to connect donors with recipients, a solution she humorously refers to as http://Match.com for sandwiches.”

This brainchild evolved into Copia 2.0, a streamlined platform bridging excess food from institutions like corporate cafeterias and hotels with non profits in need. Since it’s inception, Copia has expanded its influence considerably.

At the heart of Copia is an app that permits institutions, such as hotels, restaurants, and corporate cafeterias, to register their available food. Copia‘s sophisticated algorithm then identifies local nonprofits that can benefit from these donations. Participating institutions have the choice to either manage deliveries themselves or to engage a third party driver dispatched by Copia.

The company’s remarkable evolution is evident in its widespread adoption. Over 400 establishments across all 50 states now employ Copia‘s subscription model, including renowned brands like The Cheesecake Factory, 1Hotels, and Visa, alongside smaller independent eateries.

In 2022, to further underline its commitment to transparency and tangible impact, Copia launched a dedicated portal. This innovation not only empowers users to measure their environmental contribution but also calculates potential tax deductions. This initiative has enabled Copia‘s partners to witness substantial financial gains, ranging from $10,000 to a staggering $3 million in tax benefits.

The results speak for themselves. Last year, the platform triumphantly facilitated the donation of over 5 million pounds of surplus food, leading to an impressive carbon offset of 23 million pounds. Furthermore, Copia experienced a threefold surge in its revenue in comparison to 2021, solidifying its reputation as a trailblazer in the fight against food waste.

Ahmad, reflecting on her journey and the profound impact of Copia, emphasized that the journey of addressing food wastage is collective. With continuous innovation and expanding partnerships, Copia underscores that impossible challenges can indeed be tackled with ingenuity and determination.

Praising her diverse team, Ahmad emphasized the importance of a collective effort in addressing this issue. To skeptics who deem her mission unrealistic, she passionately quotes the legendary Muhammad Ali: “Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion.”

Ahmad’s vision remains undeterred, “The planet has more than enough to feed everyone. Solving hunger isn’t a naive dream; it’s entirely achievable.”