Inspiration
Reducing Food Waste One App at a Time
Did you know that the average person wastes $1,100 worth of food every year? Most of this waste happens because we either lose track of best-before dates or find ourselves staring blankly into the fridge, unsure of how to make a meal out of random ingredients. It’s a huge problem that not only impacts our wallets but also contributes to global food waste and environmental issues.
That’s why we created PantryPal, a grocery list and meal-planning app designed to reduce waste and save you money. This app helps you keep track of what’s in your fridge, when it expires, and how to transform those ingredients into delicious meals. Our goal? To turn the chaos of meal planning into a streamlined, stress-free experience while tackling food waste head-on.
What it does
- Scan receipts to get food data
- Save money by reducing wasted food.
- Enjoy stress-free meal planning with curated recipe suggestions.
- Stay organized with grocery tracking that eliminates overbuying or duplicate purchases.
How we built it
Frontend built with React and TypeScript. Backend built with Flask, SQLite, and OpenAI API.
Challenges we ran into
Writing an API to communicate with the frontend was very confusing because none of us have written one before. Styling with CSS was very time consuming. Non deterministic output from OpenAI was very annoying to work around.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
It works! Seeing everything come together was amazing.
What we learned
Writing API endpoints, CSS styling
What's next for PantryPal
As we continue to grow Pantry Pal, our next steps focus on further advancing sustainability and user convenience. We aim to integrate a smart fridge scanning feature that allows users to automatically log items by simply taking a photo, making it easier to track their entire pantry. Additionally, we plan to develop a seamless connection with local food banks so users can donate surplus food nearing expiration if they’re unable to consume it, helping to combat hunger while reducing waste. For those struggling to make meals out of remaining ingredients, we’ll introduce an edibility checker and enhanced recipe suggestions to maximize ingredient usage. Finally, we envision a price tracking and budgeting tool to help users make informed grocery decisions, ensuring they can save money while reducing over-purchasing and waste. By expanding these features, Pantry Pal will not only prevent waste but also empower users to make choices that are better for their wallets, their communities, and the planet.
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