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.