FoodBites

Waste Less. Feed More. FoodBites connects NGOs with individual donors and restaurants to rescue surplus food before it goes to waste.

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Inspiration

In Hong Kong and around the world, as income disparity increases, we find ourselves in a world where many families struggle to afford daily meals — while tons of edible food are discarded by restaurants and households into landfills every day.

We've seen this imbalance firsthand. We are a team of international students in Hong Kong, and we've witnessed situations where perfectly good food is thrown away, while many on the streets cry for just a bowl of rice.

This reality inspired us to build FoodBites which bridges the gap by enabling NGOs to efficiently connect with donors and restaurants to redistribute surplus food to those who need it most.

What it does

FoodBites is a simple yet powerful solution to the costly and inefficient problem of food distribution.

Our platform allows individual donors, NGOs, and restaurants to seamlessly:

  • List surplus food for donation
  • Claim available food with ease
  • Visualize nearby donors through an interactive map

By connecting supply and demand in real time, FoodBites creates an efficient ecosystem where minimizing food waste & time and maximizing impact is the only focus.

How we built it

This is a Full Stack Web Application built using:

  • Next.js for the frontend and routing
  • TailwindCSS for modern, responsive styling
  • MySQL with Prisma ORM for backend database operations
  • Google Maps API for geolocation and address-based visualizations

We use geospatial data to dynamically locate donors and recipients, helping us deliver optimized and location-aware results for efficient food distribution.

Challenges we ran into

  • Database Design
    Designing an optimized and efficient schema was a major challenge. We took time to eliminate redundancy and ensure the structure supports performance and scalability, all while keeping it flexible enough to support multiple user types and relationships.

  • Time Constraints
    Our idea was ambitious. it required thoughtful planning, smart logic, and end-to-end implementation. Balancing all of that within a limited timeframe was tough, but rewarding. The complexity wasn’t just in building—it was in thinking through the ecosystem.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that with minimal experience and limited time we built a fully functional full stack application that leverages modern web technologies, best practices, and thoughtful design. This wasn’t just a coding exercise. We planned everything end-to-end: from database schema and APIs ** to **user experience and deployment.

Our project also aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

** SDG 2 – Zero Hunger**: By enabling efficient food donation and redistribution, we reduce food insecurity and support those in need.

  • ** SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production**: We combat food waste by connecting donors with NGOs and recipients in real-time.
  • ** SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals**: Our platform fosters collaboration among individuals, restaurants, and NGOs to create a more sustainable and equitable system.

What we learned

For our entire team, this was our first-ever hackathon and the fastest project we've ever built together or individually.

What's next for FoodBites

Making it live & alive. Our goal is to make it production ready.

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