Food Traffic

Food Traffic Logo

Inspiration

Our inspiration for Food Traffic stemmed from a desire to tackle food insecurity and waste by combining elements of food delivery apps and matchmaking services. We saw how these platforms efficiently connect people with what they need, and we wanted to apply that efficiency to redistributing surplus food. By merging the delivery speed of food apps with the smart matching of services, we aimed to create a solution that quickly gets food to those in need, turning potential waste into valuable resources.

What it does

Our application provides a platform for individuals, businesses, organizations and volunteers to help provide meals and groceries in the form of food distribution and deliveries.

How we built it

Figma was our starting point to have a visual representation of our initial ideas and identify the potential features to solve the problem statement. We continued to fine tune our ideas and then proceeded to evaluate each solution and potential limitations. Creating an application that connects the population facing food insecurity to organizations and locations with food surplus, utilizing volunteers to satisfy the deliverables. Selecting the languages and frameworks to build our application was the next step. After finalizing the tech-stack, the workload was split accordingly and the application began to take shape.

Challenges we ran into

One of the challenges we faced was the feasibility and logistical aspects of the solution we came up with. With no current systems in place to pack and deliver cooked food, we had to consider the manpower and which entity will bear the cost for the logistics such as containers and utensils. This was made apparent after consulting staff from Oracle about the solution we came up with and feedback provided by them. Another challenge we ran into was integrating our front end and backend.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

As a group of students with limited coding experience, we're proud of conceptualizing a real-world solution to food insecurity and waste, effectively collaborating to refine our ideas, and rapidly learning new tools and technologies. We overcame technical challenges, particularly in integrating the front end and backend, and adapted our approach based on feedback from industry professionals. Despite our initial limitations, we successfully built a working prototype, demonstrating our ability to apply new skills and solve real-world problems through technology.

What we learned

We learned that a significant amount of food waste occurs despite the fact that much of it is still fit for consumption and could be donated to those facing food insecurity. However, the challenge lies in the narrow time frame between when the food must be consumed and the time required to deliver it to those in need. This limited window often results in the food spoiling before it reaches its destination, rendering it no longer safe for consumption. Addressing this issue requires efficient logistics and timely distribution to ensure that surplus food can be safely redirected to those who need it most before it goes to waste.

What's next for Food Traffic

We are focused on refining the matching algorithms to make sure that food donors, volunteers, and those in need are connected more efficiently and quickly. Implementing multi-language support is also a priority, as it will help us make the platform more inclusive and accessible to a diverse audience. We’re planning to add push notifications to keep everyone in the loop in real-time, reducing delays and improving the overall coordination of food distribution. User testing will be crucial for us to gather feedback and fine-tune the experience. Exploring potential collaborations with organizations and businesses that could help us expand our network and make an even bigger impact in reducing food waste and alleviating food insecurity.