What is MealConnect?

According to Feeding America, over $200 billion worth of food is wasted every year in America alone, which equates to 72 billion pounds of food. That is a lot of food that goes uneaten. Obviously, since the dawn of man, our society has faced the issue of homelessness and starvation. When there are hundreds of thousands of homeless people in America, and billions of uneaten food thrown out, there is clearly something wrong. That is why Feeding America is looking to stop this unnecessary waste with an application.

Feeding America has developed an application called MealConnect to combat the issue of wasted food in America. In essence, the application is designed to streamline, or even create, a communication between food banks and businesses. The hope is that, in creating this dialogue, businesses and farms will be able to cut down heavily on food waste, and potentially end hunger in the US by 2025. Businesses that could use the platform include grocery stores, butcher shops, farmer’s markets and even large food stores.

The platform uses a specially designed algorithm to match up food banks with food stores or businesses that have food to give away. The beauty of the application is that it is a web-based app, meaning any company, farm or food bank with an Internet connection can access it. It can also be used on mobile devices, making the process even easier.

Through MealConnect, users can get real-time information and statistics on when and where organizations are able to give food away. Feeding America even offers classes on how to use the program to its fullest potential. This is an ingenious way for food banks and food donors to get on the same page and work towards a better future.

So far, MealConnect has helped serve millions around the country. According to the official website, MealConnect has recovered 333 million pounds of food, served 278 million meals and has helped organize 737 thousand pickups.

The project was funded by Google and General Mills in order to give the platform a wider reach across the nation. Hopefully this program will get the reach it requires and find its way into the hands of every food-related business that has an excess of supplies to donate, which they most certainly will.

At the Opes Group, we pride ourselves in not only making long lasting, successful connections, but also in making efficient and organized transactions; so when we see other companies whose sole focus is organizing and connecting people together for the betterment of the world, we are always very excited.

This is just another example of how technology is helping to create a better world.