Food Saver

Eliminating food waste and promoting sustainable culture on college campuses through leveraging the human to human connection

Timeline: August 2019- December 2019

Eliminating Food Waste

Problem

Food waste is a prevalent problem among college students who feel pressured to get the most out of their meal plan by filling up their plates, and often a large portion of the food ends up going to waste. Students face limited meal plan options at affordable rates, and many economically challenged students are left food insecure when they no longer use the meal plan.

Misson

Our project aims to minimize the amount of food wasted on college campuses and explore ways to connect food sources with students who are most in need.

Chasing Breadcrumbs

Initial Brainstorming

Our team initially set out to cut down on campus food waste at dining halls. However, talking to our user base helped us understand that the reasons behind why students often left uneaten food on their plates was much more important. Students are often juggling multiple commitments outside of routine class obligations and every student will likely have a hectic schedule. Unlimited all you can eat dining halls allowed students to break down their meals in multiple visits, often throwing away a portion of their meal if they find themselves running short on time. The alternative to costly unlimited campus meal plans is to live off campus and independently manage food. However, students often have a difficult time buying groceries and carving out the hours to meal prep. The choice for many students who must independently fund their food expenses then comes down to eating a nourishing meal or cutting down on costs and time by routinely skipping meals.

Four Key Insights

Meal Scheduling: the importance of time
- How might we help users have more time efficient dining hall visits in a manner that will not affect their class schedules?
Location Matters: Not just when to eat but also where to eat
- How might we make dining halls and other food locations more accessible to students who have classes at less central locations?
Leaving Leftovers: students often take to-go boxes when eating at restaurants but similar options aren’t readily available at dining halls
- How might we allow students to have a convenient way to store and transport food that they can’t eat?
Costly Meal Plans: students often over-eat or throw away large amounts of food at dining halls with unlimited meal plans
- How might we help students get more efficient usage out of their relatively costly meal plans?