A new, Dubai-born mobile application called Peekabox is tackling the dual challenges of rising living costs and food waste by connecting consumers with surplus food at steep discounts. Founded by brothers Hasan and Omair Sarwar, the platform allows users to purchase "surprise boxes" from a wide range of popular bakeries, cafes, and grocery stores for between Dh15 and Dh35. These boxes contain fresh, high-quality items that remain unsold at the end of the day, offering customers savings of 50 to 70 percent while preventing perfectly good food from heading to a landfill.

The initiative has already seen impressive growth, onboarding over 1,000 locations from major brands such as Costa Coffee, Choithrams, and Tim Hortons. Since its recent launch, the app has gained significant traction, hitting the top spot on the App Store and recording thousands of orders in its first few weeks. By providing retailers with a way to turn potential waste into an additional revenue stream and helping residents manage their monthly food budgets more effectively, Peekabox is positioning itself as a practical, community-focused solution that supports the UAE’s broader goals to significantly reduce food loss by 2030.