• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
FinanceDavos 2017

Why I Ate Food Waste in Davos

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 19, 2017, 1:08 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

I went to Davos and all I got to eat was a plate of waste.

Seriously.

There were lentils from broken packages headed for the garbage, browning carrots, and potatoes that were growing sprouts, all cooked in a giant cauldron over a fire built on top of a snow bank. It was pretty good. Others seemed to agree. All 1,000 plates were consumed.

The World Economic Forum, the conference being held this week in Davos, Switzerland that attracts CEOs and world leaders, has a reputation, only partly deserved, as being a party for global elite. But for most of the people who attend and are not at the top of Davos’ high-altitude food chain, the days are filled with meetings and panel discussions and very little food.

Shots of juice in the morning. A scoop of risotto for lunch. The tiny portions go quick. (I know, the violin playing is just as small.)

This year one non-profit is taking advantage of the weeklong starvation of the global elite to teach the confab with a reputation for excess how the world can better use everyday excess.

Gastromotiva is a Brazilian non-profit focused on hunger issues. It’s been around for 10 years, mostly teaching culinary skills in its home country to former convicts and homeless, and others who find the on ramp to the job market tough. But in the past year, it has launched an effort to repurpose food that has been destined for the dump, and resell it. So far, Gastromotiva has “recycled” granola and a jam, as well as dried banana snacks. They are shriveled and black. Gastromotiva’s CEO Nicola Gryczka says the group targeted bananas specifically.

“It ranks as the world’s No. 1 most wasted food,” Gryczka says.

The point is to raise awareness of food waste, or food surplus, as Gryczka calls it. The organization is also collecting unsold or uncooked food from restaurants in Rio that would normally go used. Gryczka says figuring out how to divert food waste from the dump to populations in need could be a significant victory in the war on hunger.

In Davos, Gastromotiva set up a cookout outside a church on the promenade that runs from the Congress Centre, where WEF is held to the restaurants and hotels where many of the morning power breakfasts and late-night soirées are held. For the past few years the ski town’s normal shops have been taken over by corporations trying to advertise to the global elite. Gastromotiva’s cauldron is down the street from the outposts of Palantir, Facebook, and Salesforce.

On the day I went to the cookout they were serving a Nepalese stew. It tasted as good as new food. All the food waste, including nearly 500 pounds of old potatoes, came from Zurich. And Gryczka says it was all consumed. Food waste is being put on the front burner lately. Chef (and famously short-tempered television cooking star) Gordon Ramsay this week announced that he is going to serve up normally discarded ingredients at a pop-up restaurant in London.

At Davos this week, global bank UBS announced an effort to try to funnel more private investment into organizations that are focused on improving the world. From connections made at Davos—part of the WEF’s mission is to promote groups that are focused on solving global issues like hunger—Gastromotiva is one of the non-profits that have been chosen in the first round of the UBS’s efforts.

Gastromotiva isn’t just calling attention to hunger issues at Davos—it’s also attracting capital.

UBS has not yet figured out how it will structure the investment in the non-profit. But it will probably be like social impact bonds. Gryczka says the company’s new reused food products do not yet break even for the non-profit. UBS says they hope to set a structure for the deal by the end of the second quarter of the year.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
RetailNike
Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 30, 2026
6 hours ago
Young couple looking sad in front of a home with a for sale sign
Real EstateHousing
Gen Z and millennials aren’t convinced the American Dream exists anymore: Only 40% of them can afford to buy a home
By Tristan BoveJune 30, 2026
8 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin
EconomyRussia
It started with one viral influencer complaining about Russia’s economy. Now a record 60% of Russians are pessimistic about their country’s outlook
By Tristan BoveJune 30, 2026
10 hours ago
Stripe CEO Patrick Collison gestures with his hands as he speaks into a microphone before a congressional committee hearing.
Cryptostablecoins
Stripe, Visa and over 140 other businesses to launch stablecoin to rival Tether and Circle
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 30, 2026
10 hours ago
A woman types into a kiosk at an airport.
Travel & LeisureAviation
‘You can expect prices to be high and stay high’: Domestic airfare is skyrocketing faster than international flight costs, despite using less jet fuel
By Sasha RogelbergJune 30, 2026
11 hours ago
Young worker at desk
SuccessGen Z
Remote-first fintech giant Revolut is making the office compulsory for new Gen Z grads—and they’ll earn flexibility like their peers after one year
By Emma BurleighJune 30, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.