Banana App Helps People in Need Find Imperfect Food

14.3 million U.S. Households suffered from food insecurity during 2018, including 2.7 million households with children. Meanwhile, grocery stores throw away 43 billion pounds of food each year. The Banana App from the Be Good Project seeks to address this inefficiency by creating a way for people suffering from food insecurity to easily find and claim food that is about to be discarded by grocers.

The Free Banana App will provide supermarkets/grocery/produce stands the ability to donate perishable food that is in good condition, but not aesthetically-pleasing for market display. Eligible low-income customers/homeless individuals will be able to signup and use the service.

According to Julia Chao, the Banana App Design Lead, “Food waste is a global issue. About one-third of the food, we produced every year is wasted, while 795 million people are struggling to feed themselves. Food waste also leads to the release of more greenhouse gases, and at the same time, we are not just wasting food but the water, electricity, transportation, and many more resources that go into the production. Banana App will serve the community and connect donors and people in need to minimize food waste and hunger.”

At the Hack To Give Thanks, the Banana App team continued working on their client-facing app and their marketing plan. Check out their project profile on DemocracyLab to learn more and get involved!