As Nigeria grapples with rising food prices, growing food waste, and increasing pressure on small businesses, a new generation of social enterprises is stepping forward with innovative solutions. In this interview with Silver Nwokoro, the Co-Founder/ CTO, PicksNCarts, Paul Adesida speaks about how food waste can be curtailed and possible sustainable redistribution in Nigeria.
Why is food waste a social issue around the world?
Food waste and affordability are deeply social issues. When edible food and usable groceries are discarded, resources are lost. When food becomes unaffordable, communities suffer.
What challenges affect the emerging sector?
Challenges include limited awareness of redistribution models, consumer skepticism, logistics constraints for perishables, and regulatory gaps around surplus circulation within shelf-life limits.
What gaps are you bridging through this initiative?
Our research revealed a critical disconnect within Nigeria’s food system, while businesses struggle with surplus, slow-moving or short-dated inventory, many consumers struggle with affordability. PicksNCarts converts inefficiency into shared value, helping businesses recover losses, households save money, and the environment benefits from reduced waste and greenhouse gas emission.
It bridges three key gaps: the gap between surplus, slow-moving, and short-dated inventory and real consumer demand, the gap between rising living costs and shrinking purchasing power and gap between businesses and practical, technology-driven sustainable commerce. We enable participation in a circular economy without disrupting the existing business operations of merchants.
How is PicksNCarts achieving impact through ESG principles?
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are embedded into how PicksNCarts operates. From an environmental perspective, we work with food and beverage businesses to redistribute surplus, slow-moving, and short-dated food and grocery inventory, all within approved shelf-life and best-before standards. This prevents avoidable waste, reduces landfill pressure, and cuts emissions linked to food disposal.Socially, we address rising living costs by improving access to affordable, quality food and essentials for students, workers, and households under financial pressure. At the same time, we help businesses recover value from inventory that would otherwise be written off From a governance standpoint, we operate with transparency and accountability, maintaining clear merchant agreements, structured settlement processes, and strict compliance with NAFDAC, SON, NDPR, and payment regulations.
How can businesses leverage the platform?
Registered businesses ( large, medium, and small ) list surplus, slow-moving, or short-dated inventory on PicksNCarts and reach consumers actively seeking affordable options. Merchants control their listings through a secure dashboard, while payments are processed via a trusted payment gateway (Paystack). This ensures transparency, data security, and seamless settlement.
How do you ensure product quality and data security?
All items listed on PicksNCarts must fall within approved shelf-life or best-before dates, in line with NAFDAC and SON standards. Data security is enforced through encrypted payment systems, NDPR compliance, role-based access control, and regular audits. Trust and safety are non-negotiable.
What policies would support platforms like yours?
We advocate for clearer regulations on surplus, slow-moving, and short-dated redistribution, incentives for waste-reduction startups, grants or tax relief for impact-driven enterprises and a national awareness campaigns on food waste reduction.
