MealBridge

Inspiration

The inspiration for MealBridge comes from the urgent need to address food insecurity and reduce food waste in South Africa. With a high unemployment rate, poverty, and rising living costs, many South Africans struggle to access adequate food. Simultaneously, significant food waste occurs in the hospitality industry. MealBridge aims to bridge this gap by connecting food donors with organizations that support the needy thus promoting responsible consumption and production.

What it does

MealBridge is a web application that serves as an intermediary between food donors, such as restaurants and hotels, and recipient entities that provide food to those in need and those doing some good for the earth, i.e. homeless shelters and composters. The platform facilitates the donation process by matching donors with nearby recipients, coordinating delivery logistics, and ensuring that surplus food reaches those who need it most.

How we built it

MealBridge was developed using a combination of technologies:

Frontend: Angular, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap
Backend: C#, SQL
Additional Tools: JavaScript for enhanced interactivity

The development process involves designing a user-friendly interface, creating a robust backend to handle data management and implementing features to facilitate communication between donors and recipients.

Challenges we ran into

One of the major challenges was ensuring the reliability and security of the platform, especially in verifying the credentials of both donors and recipients. Coordinating logistics for food delivery also posed a challenge, as we needed to account for various factors such as transportation availability and timely delivery to prevent food spoilage. Another challenge is the matching of donors and recipients. We need to ensure that all food is fairly distributed between the recipients.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of creating a platform that has the potential to significantly reduce food waste while addressing food insecurity. Successfully integrating various technologies to build a functional and user-friendly application is another accomplishment. Additionally, our efforts in verifying participants' credentials help ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of the system.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned about the complexities of food insecurity and the importance of efficient logistics in food distribution. Understanding the socio-economic factors contributing to food insecurity also provided valuable insights for enhancing our platform's impact.