Fighting food waste with one 'surprise bag' at a time

To stop unsold food from going to waste, Ms Mahima Rajangam Natarajan gives leftover meals a second life through affordable "surprise bags" that customers can buy and enjoy.

The 35-year-old's mission is simple yet impactful: reduce food waste, protect the planet, and make good food accessible to all.

Ms Mahima points out that food waste isn't just about throwing food away, it also wastes the energy, water and effort that went into producing it.

"Each meal saved is a small victory against carbon emissions," she said, noting that each rescued meal prevents around 2.5kg of carbon emissions.

Yindii, the app she co-founded, partners with popular names, such as Cedele and OK Chicken Rice, to offer "surprise bags" of unsold food at 50-80 per cent discounts.

In Singapore alone, Yindii has over 130,000 users.

"As living costs rise, people are looking for ways to save. Plus, Singapore has strong support for food rescue, like the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, and businesses are actively seeking ways to cut waste," said Ms Mahima.

"Some people fully support buying surplus food, but others still hesitate, thinking it's 'waste'.

"Even if we can't stop all the world's food waste, I'll give my all every day to fight it."

In 2021, Yindii was launched in Thailand by Mr Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre. He was joined by Ms Mahima two months later.

Yindii has since saved over 380,000 portions of food from going to waste.

After establishing itself in Thailand, the app expanded to Hong Kong in 2023, and Singapore in 2024, continuing its fight against food waste across Asia.

At Yindii, customers are called Food Heroes, because every meal they save makes a real difference.