Food waste reduction by creating a platform to share surplus foods

Abstract

"Each year 1/3 of all the food the world produces is never eaten, and the value of this wasted food is worth over $1 trillion. This does not only mean an economic loss it means all the natural resources involved in making them were also wasted. Compared to other industries, food waste is a massive market inefficiency.

Household food wastage is a major contributor to global food insecurity and environmental degradation. In Sri Lanka, where food insecurity remains a pressing issue, more than 76 kilograms were wasted annually. Considering the current crisis in Sri Lanka, saving food rather than wasting it will help sustain our economy. We produce 7,000 tons of solid waste per day, households are the best contributors to them. A survey carried out by FAO/IWMI in urban households showed that an average of LKR.1000 worth of food goes to waste within one week. An average of 34 kilograms of food is wasted in a week. (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2021)

There are a lot of techniques and methods that have been developed to reduce food waste and get food who are in need throughout the world. Sri Lanka, being a developing country, can adopt sustainable production and consumption methods to save food. One effective approach to minimizing food wastage is by sharing excess food with individuals who require it. From the gathered literature one of the most effective ways to share surplus food is having a food-sharing platform to share the surplus food with others. Unfortunately, many local families who have digital literacy are unaware of these platforms' existence in the international market, which could have a positive impact on the local economy.

In an effort to address this issue, this research project aims to analyze the factors contributing to food wastage in Sri Lanka and to design, develop, test, and evaluate an application that would help to share the surplus food we have in our household before it goes to waste."