Our solution's stage of development:
ResearchOur solution:
Our app seeks to eliminate the large amounts of food waste generated by individuals living in urban settings. The app takes the user’s grocery list and generates an optimized recipe list & plan that allows users to cook healthy meals that maximize their purchased food resources.
Our pitch:
Have you ever gone through your fridge and pantry and had to throw away large amounts of expired produce or meat that you never got around to cooking or simply forgot about?
You're not alone, in fact millions of people experience the same guilt and disappointment of having to dispose of large amounts of food that they spent their hard-earned money purchasing. Many realize the immense strain that food waste places on the environment, resources, and their personal finances, but struggle to break this habit.
Our mobile application tackles unsustainable food consumption habits through an engaging platform. First, the app will use your location to identify your closest grocery stores and markets to support local food systems, reduce carbon emission travel times, and strengthen community networks. Enter in to the app the food items you purchased from your local farmers market or pair your grocery store rewards program card with the app and watch as your grocery list is imported into the platform. Next, the platform's algorithm will analyze the list of food items you submitted and generate an optimized recipe list from our recipe database that will maximize the food resources you've purchased. These simple recipes will ensure that no food or produce goes to waste, and allow the user to enjoy healthy home cooking. Share your recipes with friends through the app to encourage healthy sustainable eating practices and grow our recipe database.
Watch as your grocery bills decrease, the quality of your meals improve, and that feeling of guilt disappear as you no longer have to throw away expired food. Through reducing food waste, cities can significantly decrease the amount of waste added to landfills, ease strain placed on water resources in surrounding rural farming communities, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions involved in urban food supply chain systems.
The problem:
In the United States 40% of food is wasted, significantly contributing to urban landfills, greenhouse gas emissions, and exacting a serious toll on local water resources according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. For most, the disposal of excess or expired food has become a routine kitchen chore. University students, busy professionals, and young families are often so caught up in their work and social obligations that they neglect to cook healthy meals or even consume food their purchase before it expires. These habits are financially costly for individuals and contribute to an unsustainable urban food system.
Why our solution will solve the problem:
People are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change and how their consumption habits contribute to this global challenge. According to a recent Tetra Pak study, two-thirds of consumers consciously avoid specific brands due to environmental concerns. As a result of this environmental consciousness purchasing habits are beginning to change. For instance, US sales of sustainable organic food products have increased from $3.6bn in 1997 to $39bn in 2014. Our app can tap into this global movement to be more healthy and sustainable. Widespread smartphone adoption will allow our app to scale quickly, reducing food waste.
Our target outcomes:
Solution will be deployed through user downloads in various app vendors.
Our app targets university students, busy professionals, and young families. We feel that the app solution will appeal directly to those living in urban settings where food is available in most areas, but people do not feel they have the time to cook healthy meals.
Our solution will dramatically reduce amount of food that is wasted by users. The result will mean less food waste deposited in landfills, less strain on food systems, and greater support for locally sourced food. Platform will nurture a user community committed to sustainability.
How we will measure our progress:
The populations we will benefit initially:
The regions we will benefit initially:
The technologies we employ:
Why our solution is unique:
Our solution uses an algorithm to analyze and maximize the resources users' purchase through their local grocers. Our app will pair with local grocery store loyalty cards to automatically import grocery receipts from users, avoiding manual entry of items. The recipe database feature allows users to join a growing community of individuals seeking healthier meals and more sustainable lifestyles. Our technology empowers its users to improve their eating habits, save money on groceries, and take important steps towards environmental sustainability.
Why our solution is human-centered:
Our mobile application presents an engaging technological solution to food waste for all of our users. Through identifying local sources of food we are able to strengthen urban communities and support local grocers & farmers. Our solution recognizes the reality that many individuals feel too busy to spend much time cooking so our app presents easy to cook and healthy recipes that can easily fit into their daily routines. The social component of our app will encourage greater exchange and dialogue regarding how to reduce food waste.
How people will access our solution:
Our solution will be deployed through various mobile phone app stores. This makes the application easily accessible for anyone using a smartphone. The app will have free basic services and a premium mode that will charge interested users a reasonable monthly fee.In the United States three out of four Americans own a smartphone device, allowing our device to reach diverse segments of the nation. Smartphones are becoming ubiquitous in many countries across the world and we believe this trend will continue.
Technology-Readiness Level:
0 (Concept)Our organization:
Not Registered as Any OrganizationHow we will sustain our team financially:
We plan to court impact investors and venture capitalists for our initial round of funding. We will use this money to build out the mobile application and market it to users. In order to remain financially sustainable and profitable we intend to follow a "freemium model". We will allow users to download and enjoy certain features of the app for free, but will also have a premium subscription service. For $5 per month users can avail of more features in the application. We could also work to partner with local grocers to promote their offerings through the application.
The factors limiting our success:
There are two major impediments to the success of our app. Firstly, we lack the funding to create a high quality application and maintain a sustainable business. Our next challenge would be successfully promoting the application on a scale where we are achieving thousands of downloads in cities across the USA and world. We believe that through aggressive marketing and once users begin to use our app they will promote it among their own networks driving our ability to scale.
How long we have been working on our solution:
Less than 1 yearHow long it will take to develop a pilot:
1-3 monthsHow long it will take to scale beyond our pilot:
3-6 monthsOur expected annual budget:
$45000
How much of our budget we've secured to date:
$0
We're looking for partners in these fields:
Why we're applying to Solve:
We are applying to Solve to join a dynamic network of industry leaders committed to creating a more sustainable urban ecosystem. We see Solve as an opportunity to promote our vision for sustainable and healthy eating practices. We believe that we can leverage the connections we will build through Solve to make a meaningful contribution to eliminating unnecessary food waste one household at a time.
Our current partners:
No current partners.
Solution Team
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FE
Francesca Eremeeva Solve Intern -
TM
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AV
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