Freshify – a combination of a mobile app, object recognition device and camera, which aims to reduce food wastage through meal planning and keeping tabs on food expiration dates
When Year 2 Mechanical Engineering student Muhammad Zulhusni Jumat found himself throwing away expired food at home every other week, he decided a rethink was in order. The solution? Freshify – a combination of a mobile app, object recognition device and camera, which aims to reduce food wastage through meal planning and keeping tabs on food expiration dates.
“We realised that the food in our fridges were either often expired, or not well-stored to maintain optimal freshness. Food-related responsibilities also often fall on one person in the family, making it a tedious process to track and plan while cooking for the household,” said Zulhusni, who brainstormed the idea with his teammate Desiree Ong from Nanyang Technological University. “With Freshify, we aim to simplify the entire tracking and planning process – from purchase to consumption – so that everyday users find it easy to reduce food waste at home.”
On the app, up to eight users can access the same channel at any one time to plan meals, create grocery shopping lists, and try out recommended zero-waste recipes based on the ingredients in their fridge and their dietary preferences. There is also an element of gamification to ramp up engagement – you can earn points by completing tasks and meeting goals, and these points can be exchanged for food rewards and vouchers.
