Ideaz

1. Fix a real-world issue

One of the largest unsolved issues today is food waste. The UN estimates that more than 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year. Much of it occurs in the home — milk, bread, vegetables, or leftovers tend to be forgotten at the back of the fridge until too late.

• This wastes money for households.
• It helps combat global hunger problems (while some do not get enough to eat, others waste).
• Food left to rot in landfills also emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Therefore, an easy household solution can have a colossal effect on the world.

2. Identify gaps in existing solutions/market

• Supermarket apps (e.g., Blinkit, BigBasket, Instacart) only assist individuals in purchasing food, not in handling it once purchased.
• Expiry tracking apps do indeed exist, but they are too labor-intensive — barcode reading or typing in information for each product. Most users fail after a couple of days.
• Expiry tracking smart fridges do exist, but they cost too much for ordinary families and are primarily sold in Western nations.
• There is no low-cost, low-effort option that keeps expiry tracking simple for normal households.

Our proposal seeks to bridge this by being:
✅ Simple → just snap a photo of your groceries.
✅ Low-cost → uses any smartphone.
✅ Useful → sends reminders on time before expiration.

3. Who gains

Families/Households 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦:

• Save money by avoiding more food waste.
• Plan meals more effectively with reminders on time.
• Feel better about lessening their ecological footprint.

Retailers/Brands 🛒:

• Increase customer satisfaction by minimizing complaints about expired products.
• Enhance brand reputation as socially conscious.
• Community & Environment 🌱:
• Reduced food waste → less landfill use and less greenhouse gases.
• More effective use of food → helps to ensure food security.

4. Why this issue is important to me

• This issue seems very personal in my everyday life. I've lost count of how many times I've had to discard milk, bread, or vegetables because I'd forgotten they were about to expire. It seems like:
• Wasting money 💸 — especially with increasing costs of food.
• Adding to the guilt 😔 — when so many are food insecure.
• Damaging the environment 🌏 — knowing that food waste leads to climate change.

That's why I'm passionate about creating a solution that is practical, accessible, and effective for average homes, not only tech-friendly or affluent individuals.

5. Technical details 

🤖 AI-powered image recognition: Take a quick photo of your groceries. The app auto-detects items and assigns an estimated shelf life.

🔔 Smart reminders: Push notifications warn users a day or two before expiry — “Your spinach 🥬 will spoil tomorrow, make a salad today!”

🔗 Integration with grocery apps: If you order online, expiry data can auto-fill from receipts.

🎮 Gamification & Rewards: Earn points for saving food, share with friends, or even convert points into donations toward food charities.

📊 Analytics dashboard: Track how much food (and money) you saved each month.

One of the unnoticed but serious problems in our society is medicine wastage. Almost every household has a box or drawer filled with standby medicines, yet when someone falls sick, we often find that most of them have expired. This not only makes the medicines useless but can also be harmful if consumed unknowingly. At the same time, people sometimes run out of essential tablets because they forget to refill on time.

Here's where MediTrack comes into play a simple tool that could track expiry dates and also remind families to restock medicines.

The concept is simple but practical. Imagine an app that quietly monitors the medicines in your home, like a virtual medicine box.
A user can either scan the barcode or manually enter the details when buying medicines. From that point onward, the app takes over. It sends alerts when medicines are nearing expiry, giving time to either use them responsibly or donate safe, unopened strips to NGOs.
Once a medicine has expired, it warns the user immediately and suggests a refill. In short, families are always informed and prepared.

Now, is this technically possible? Absolutely:
The app could use barcode scanning for easy entry, cloud storage to sync across family members, and AI-based scheduling for smart reminders. Geolocation can be integrated to suggest nearby pharmacies for refills or donation centers for unused stock. The notifications could be designed to trigger both before and after expiry, ensuring nothing is missed.

The benefits are significant. Families avoid wastage and always stay ready in emergencies. Patients adhere better to treatments. NGOs gain access to much-needed medicines before they expire. Pharmacies and healthcare systems also benefit from better stock management.

The stakeholders are broad:

• Families who save money and stay prepared.

• Patients who receive timely medication.

• NGOs and donation centers that help the underprivileged.

• Society at large, which benefits from reduced medical waste and better public health.

The truth is, medicine management is not just a “household issue,” it is a societal concern. Wasted medicines mean higher healthcare costs, more pollution, and lost opportunities to help those in need. By introducing something like MediTrack, we are not just creating a reminder tool we are building a healthier, safer, and more sustainable community.

Instead of viewing this as a challenge, we should see it as an opportunity to innovate to make healthcare smarter, more responsible, and more inclusive. Even a simple prototype could inspire further advancements in digital healthcare.

A major real world problem today is food waste. Large amounts of edible food are discarded daily by restaurants, supermarkets and households even though many people struggle with hunger and food insecurity. This also contributes to environmental problems like green house gas emissions and wasted resources.Food wastage is a serious global issue, affecting both developed and developing countries. It occurs at every stage of the food supply chain—from production, transportation, and storage to retail and household consumption. According to global studies, nearly one-third of all food produced is wasted, which not only leads to loss of valuable resources like water, energy, and labor but also contributes significantly to environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions. At the consumer level, lack of awareness, over-purchasing, improper storage, and cultural habits are some of the main reasons food is wasted. Reducing food waste is crucial for ensuring food security, saving resources, and promoting sustainability.

Gaps in Current Solutions

• Limited Accessibility of Solutions: Food donation systems are often unorganized and don’t reach the most vulnerable communities consistently.

• Lack of Consumer Awareness: Many people are unaware of how small changes in buying and storing habits can significantly reduce waste.

• Inefficient Supply Chains: In developing regions, poor infrastructure and inadequate cold storage facilities lead to huge post-harvest losses.

• Short-Term Focus: Current solutions often focus on immediate waste reduction rather than building long-term sustainable practices.

• Technology Gaps: Although smart apps for tracking expiry dates or redistributing food exist, they are not widely adopted due to lack of awareness or accessibility.

Who Benefits

• Users/Consumers: Access to affordable or free meals.
• Businesses: Lower waste disposal costs and improved social image.
• Communities: Reduced hunger and positive environmental impact.

• Farmers: Improved storage and supply chain solutions ensure their hard work does not go to waste.

• The Environment: Reducing food waste lowers greenhouse gas emissions, conserves water, and reduces land use pressure.

Why It Matters to Me

This issue matters to me because I’ve seen good food being wasted at events and shops, and I believe technology can help create a bridge between excess and need.Food wastage matters to me because I believe food is one of the most valuable resources we have, yet it is often taken for granted. Seeing so much food thrown away while many people struggle with hunger feels deeply unfair and avoidable. As a student, I also see how small habits—like buying only what we need or storing food properly—can create a big difference. 

Optional Technical Idea

My idea is to design a digital platform that connects local stores with nearby communities and charities so surplus food can be redistributed quickly.

Optical sensors can detect changes in color, texture, and gases released by food (like ethylene for fruits).

Each step of food movement (farm → storage → transport → retail) can be tracked