Hungarian students launched the world’s first online fund-food store – Foodoverflow

The project initiators are only 15 years old; however, they are working on a startup that aims to resolve one of the biggest environmental problems.

The world’s first online fund-food store has been launched, where users can post their redundant food that can be ordered by people in need. As Élőbolygónk.hu describes, the idea of Foodoverflow was created by three Hungarian high school students, and now, the project’s application is also ready.

Thanks to the idea of ​​Hungarian high school students, portions of superfluous food can be saved worldwide. Bence Boér and his partners have already won prestigious international awards for their pioneer idea, but now, the online store has also been launched, which is accessible through an application.

Image: www.facebook.com/foodoverflow/

“If someone has excessive amounts of food that would be thrown away, then they can upload it to the website by selecting its category,” explains the designer, Bence Boér, who introduced his project on the show of Kék bolygó (Blue Planet) by M1.

The wide selection of food ranges from prepared meals to different kinds of fruits and several types of pasta. They can be selected by distance, category, and expiration date.

As the Hungarian news portal szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu describes, the idea came spontaneously – the students entered a bakery upon its closing hour and saw that several pastries were still left. They were curious about what happens with the remaining products and were informed that some of them were taken home, but unfortunately, most of them were thrown out.

In addition to the website, a mobile application will also be created soon. Nearly 1,000 users have already registered since its launch in February.

The uploaded foods are awarded by ‘food-coins’. At the moment, it only shows the amount of contribution; however, later, it is planned to give coupons and discounts that can be used in stores.

The problem and its solution

Nowadays, hunger is one of the major problems, along with its paradoxical situation in the developed countries where tonnes of food are thrown out, despite the fact that they would still be edible.

In order to resolve this contradiction, a possible solution is provided by FoodOverflow, a social platform where users can share the food they do not need anymore.

According to a survey of the National Food Safety Office, Hungarians produce 68 kilograms of food waste per person on a yearly basis, and at least half of this amount is wasted.

The interactive interface includes several creative elements; for example, creators designed it in a way that a note is sent when the expiration date of a product is approaching, and an integrated map shows you where you can pick it up.

Users can collect points based on their activity – called ‘food-coins’ – which can be used for a variety of benefits.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/foodoverflow/

Source: szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu