Innovation in Food Waste Management Through Information Technology

This report examines the application of information technology to revolutionize food waste management. The core innovation involves a green software platform utilizing blockchain technology to connect restaurants and hotels, enabling them to update their food waste data. This data is then processed by AI to efficiently allocate food to those in need, optimizing routes using the Dijkstra algorithm for the shortest travel distance. The system prioritizes sustainability by employing electric vehicles for local transport, public transport for interstate, and government-owned flights/water containers for international distribution, minimizing the carbon footprint. The report highlights the potential of this innovation to reduce malnutrition and famishment, as well as the importance of food process engineering, packaging, and logistics in maintaining food quality and cost-effectiveness. The analysis includes references to case studies, journal articles, and reports, and also provides a Twitter analysis of public interest in the topic. The report emphasizes the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed solution, contributing to the betterment of society.

Assessment One

Table of Contents
Title: Innovation in food waste management through information technology..............................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1

Title: Innovation in food waste management through information technology
INTRODUCTION
Food waste management is an essential task for every company working in the food
industry as it somehow enhances their profitability through saving excess amount of food they
have produced. Along with this, company can increase their brand awareness in the market by
performing CSR activities through dissemination the waste food to the needy one. In this file,
innovation on food waste will be discussed which company could opt to perform their bit
towards society.
MAIN BODY
 Innovation: To utilise the excess food in the market, company would launch their
business in which all the restaurant and hotels will be simultaneously connected through
green software which works on block chain technology. For instance, hotels or restaurant
will update their waste food in the green software then company would be notified
regarding the supply of food and with the help of AI it will automatically allot the places
on the basis of requirement and distance between them. Shortest route will be selected
with the help of Dijkstra algorithm. Specific warehouse will be made in which food will
be transferred through various modes of travelling and then dispatchment will be done by
considering less carbon footprint to the society. If food is transfer within a single city
then electric vehicles will be used, in inter state, public vehicle will be used and in inter
countries, government owned flights or water container will be used respectively. This
innovation would help reducing malnutrition and famishment and would be effectively
contributing to the betterment of society.
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
1. Case Study: Simplifying Food Waste Collection in Restaurants. 2017. [Online].
Available Through: <https://www.naturbag.com/case-study-simplifying-food-waste-
collection-restaurants>
Justification of source
Restaurant situated in Oakland tries to reduce their amount of waste food through land
filling. For instance, waste food is daily collected with the help of Natur bag and then
decomposes it by using scientific method. But this approach harms the society instead of
1

bettering it as land filling increase methane gas in the environment resulting in high global
warming. Green software would help in disposing the waste food to the deprived person which
leads to betterment of society.
2. Papargyropoulou, E., Lozano, R., Steinberger, J.K., Wright, N. and bin Ujang, Z., 2014.
The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food
waste. Journal of Cleaner Production. 76. pp.106-115.
Justification of source:
This case study explores about the wastage of food which deteriorates the condition of
society by striking on environment, social and economic global conditions. This could be
reduced as surplus food will be transfer to needful places with the help of green software.
3. Van Der Vorst, J.G., Tromp, S.O. and Zee, D.J.V.D., 2009. Simulation modelling for
food supply chain redesign; integrated decision making on product quality, sustainability
and logistics. International Journal of Production Research. 47(23). pp.6611-6631.
Justification of source:
Cost is the most important part in logistics as low cost is favourable for company and
vice versa. With the help of technology, cost of the transportation could be reduced to a certain
level. By using Dijkstra algorithm with block chain technology, system will automatically find
out the shortest route which must be covered by company to transfer the surplus food. Besides
this, Green software also considered the first expired first out approach so that quality of food
wont get compromised.
4. Smith, P.G., 2011. An Introduction to Food Process Engineering. In Introduction to Food
Process Engineering (pp. 1-3). Springer, Boston, MA.
Justification of source:
Due to natural chemical reactions, quality of food deteriorates with time due to micro
organism and to cope up with it, company will use food process engineering in which specific
container will be use for packaging after freezing it so that air wont get passed through it.
5. Global Nutrition Report. 2018. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/2018-global-nutrition-report-reveals-
malnutrition-unacceptably-high-and-affects>
Justification of source:
2

Malnutrition is one of the problem which cost more than 3.5 trillion per year to the
society as 20 million babies are born underweight all over world. Main aim of green software is
to reduced to number of malnutrition cases in the world so that healthy environment would be
made.
6. Food transportation issues and reducing carbon footprint. 2010. [Online]. Available
Through <http://www.cleanmetrics.com/pages/Ch9_0923.pdf>
Justification of source
It is important to consider every alternative as at the time of transportation if more carbon
footprint is left then it will of no use be. To comply with it, green software will show the shortest
and most effective route so that negative impact of vehicle to the society will be limited resulting
in betterment of society from environmental aspect.
Importance of IT and Logistics in betterment of waste collection system
To tackle the shortage of food problems, company has also concentrated on the economic
sustainability of the product also as green energy is used to run the green software. Moreover,
latest technology will be used so that shortest path will be chosen to deliver the product by using
public transport so that reduction of carbon emission will be attain.
Attempt Twitter search term Twitter synonym and
related hashtags that are
found
Search terms and results
derived from TAGs
1 Zero carbon emission None
2. Sustainability #sustainablelogistics
# Environmentallogistics
#sustainability
Results- only 2 tweets, so
tried sustainable logistic
which has around 258
tweets
3. Green Logistics #ZeroEmissions
#greenlogistics
#greenlog
#Green Logistics
Results- 504 tweets
3

It can be easily seen from the graph that people are excited and concerned about the problem of
food wastage as in the first month it gets 6500 tweets and in second month it gets hike of 20% as
compare to last month tweets.
4

People are excited about the green software due to which interest of people are enhancing day by
day.
People are happy about the economical sustainability of the product provided by company due to
which number of tweets are increasing significantly.
5