Many dispute that the modern technology has made our society lazy, incompetent, and self-absorbed; that our brains have become dull and reliant on our smartphones; and that social media has increased our narcissistic tendencies.
However a new food-sharing app called OLIO, launched last week, invalidates these claims. This free app is designed to curb food wastage among shops, cafes, and businesses in the city of Cambridge, England.
OLIO establishes a local network between citizens and businesses, so that excess food is shared, rather than wasted. The app works by inviting users to post photos of their available food. Others in the area then receive a notification about the items which they may claim for themselves.
OLIO, designed by Cambridge University graduate, Tessa Cook, is one of several waste-reducing, food-conscious apps available to smartphone users.
Restaurants, farms, and grocery stores in the San Francisco Bay Area are using an app called Waste No Food, which allows for surplus food to be retrieved by local food pantries, homeless shelters, and charities. The app TangoTab alternatively provides its users with deals on restaurant food and drinks and donates a meal for each deal used.
In addition, Feedie (“Share food. Literally.”) partners with restaurants across the US to fight hunger. Every time someone eating at a participating restaurant posts a meal photo on Instagram, Feedie makes a donation to South African school children.
Our hand-held devices can often be written off as waste of time. However, the designers of apps such as OLIO and Feedie have begun to alter the self-promoting, indolent culture behind smartphone use. Overall, technology has revolutionized the way we live and, more importantly, the way we serve our communities. These apps equip users with a heightened awareness of the fight against food waste and hunger and, in doing so, increases their contribution to the cause. Participation in these social initiatives is now readily available — all at our fingertips.
