Profile

Thomas
Show my name on the attendees list for events I am attending: Yes
Design quotient
Research
0pt
Idea
0pt
Evaluation
0pt
Collaboration
30pt
Total
30pt
Hello Stephen,
I think this is a great idea that could help major cities and the people who reside in them. It would allow people to obtain healthy food at a discounted price through a simple process. Sprout also has the opportunity to help farmers sell food that would otherwise go to waste. It is helpful that there is a phone app that goes along with the service. The app will help people discover what food is at different pods while giving users nutritional facts about the different foods. The biggest problem I see with this service is the transportation of food between the farms/stores and the pods. I think transportation might be an issue because farms are usually located a good distance outside cities making for a great distance to drop off donated or discounted food. Instead of the food coming from farms it might be more feasible for the majority of food to come from grocery stores within the city. This would keep the cost of transportation down because the food is already located in the city. The next problem I see is once the food makes it to the Pods what happens if the food doesn’t sell or if it just goes bad? I am interested in knowing at what point if any the food becomes free and if there is a plan for the food if it has already gone bad. Based on your pictures it looks like your idea is based around open pods which makes me ask the question of what happens to the food at night if it doesn’t sell? The last problem I see is the pricing of the food and how you are going to determine the price of each food item on the pod. If you keep the prices low then you can focus on lower income families being your primary customer but the prices need to stay high enough to be able to pay for transportation and the employee working the pod. I think you should test run your idea on a small scale like a college campus or small city to see if it interests people. People should show interest because it is centered on helping them out. Not only is the food brought closer to their neighborhoods but it is also at a discounted price. You have a great idea and it will be interesting to see what the future will bring to Sprout.
Respectfully, Thomas
Hello Food Shift,
It blows my mind to think that such a great idea isn’t put into use more than it is. This solution isn’t the answer to everything but it does help cut down on food waste while being equally helpful for our society, environment and economy like the post says. It’s amazing to think that unlike most restaurants once food enters this restaurant it doesn’t go to waste. Food that the customers throw out can simply be composted so essentially there is no waste. Even though it is not related to the subject of wasting food it is key that this idea involves on-the-job training to those who are out of work. Even when someone who is unemployed finds a job it usually requires skills they simply don’t have. One thing that I think would be a good addition is if there is food at the end of the night that is left unsold it should be distributed amongst the employees. Since the DC Central Kitchen is doing very well if the Alameda kitchen just follows its role model it should be just as successful. It seems like you have the backing to complete this project and if you asked around I am sure you would find some willing sponsors to get the plan going. If done correctly I think this could be the start to a chain of restaurants that could financially support themselves and its employees. This could start with just one restaurant but in no time you would find that it would be an example for other restaurants around the world. Even though restaurants are only a percentage of the total food waste it’s a step in the right direction. Not only does Food Shift cut down on food waste it also helps the community.
Respectfully, Thomas
Thomas commented on Toast Ale: delicious craft beer, brewed from surplus bread