The problem
People, especially Americans, are wasting a ton of food. Figures vary from study to study, but something from 60-100 billion lbs of food is thrown in the trash. That food, or roughly one quarter of the 356 billion pounds of edible food available, costs the average family of four $1,039 annually (source) Not much of that waste is being recycled – only 2% to be exact (source). By addressing food waste, society steps closer to the goal of ending hunger. It is a very salient issue for me, since as a child my mom always hassled me when I wanted to leave the dinner table prematurely. “Better eat all your food on the plate; some starving person in Africa could eat it!” The guilt of throwing away food still resonates with me to this day.
The situation
How does all that food end up the trash? Every time I stock my fridge, some of the food I purchase will contribute to food waste. Committing to buying fresh groceries means food will spoil from forgetfulness. The problem is compounded by the fact that I live with three other individuals, who cram their groceries in the fridge, finding whatever arrangement that fits their food in the fridge. This situation creates a lot of food that gets hidden, only to be discovered when it is already too old to eat. Food that is getting old isn’t visible and I don’t do extensive enough reviews of my fridge to stay on top of it.
I want to commit to buying fresh food, but it is hard to stay vigilant about food waste. Remembering exactly what I bought and what needs to be eaten is not at the forefront of my mind at all times. Is there any way we can get a reminder?
Opportunity
The refrigerator is a machine that, despite its innovations in engineering & energy efficiency, still has plenty of opportunity for design improvements. After all, the core model has not changed since its inception: it is still a box we open, throw food in, and neglect until needed again. There is no communication or interaction between it and the rest of our life outside the kitchen. However, as a product that is intimately tied to our food consumption and waste, the refrigerator needs to play a greater role in mediating our behaviors.
Food waste will be better managed when the refrigerator is designed to communicate with us. STILL HERE!, it will tell us. There is food still here, there is no need to go to the supermarket. Throw me in a stir fry… and fast! Don’t go out to eat, I have plenty of leftovers!
Solutions
The Information Architect says,
Organize your fridge according to a lifespan system. Designate areas of your fridge for buckets of consumables that are fresh and/or have a short lifespan (check the expiration date). Make sure that food in that bucket is visible and easy to grab for immediate consumption. Put food with preservatives and long shelf lives (eggs, milk, etc) into less accessible areas of the fridge. Once the food is organized clearly in a way that creates awareness for food spoilage, behaviors will align with eating food before it goes bad
This requires significant change in our behavior since we tend to designate areas for food types, not according to time.
The product designer says,
Food products do a poor job of communicating how long food remains good & edible; clearer communication of spoilage, made visible through better package design, can inform the consumer when they need to eat the product. Expiration dates on objects like dairy, pre-packaged meat, and other processed foods should be displayed prominently and oriented towards the front of the package. Stickers on produce can inform the eater of its expect lifespan.
Another solution involves innovative packaging used to communicate spoilage through color information. Design a produce bag or box with ink that is sensitive to bacteria, odor, or age. Packages that are red in the fridge should be eaten soon or else! Designing products in this way engenders a system of reviewing the contents of one’s fridge by color instead of looking at each individual item.
The interaction designer says,
It is remarkable that with so much powerful technology readily available in society, fridges are still ignorant devices. As I watch fridge users struggle with doing fridge inventory, I see an opportunity to create a HUD (heads-up display) on the outside of the fridge that communicates with storage devices in the fridge. Tupperware can be made smarter through user interaction (such as marking the date on leftovers with a digital pen) which can inform a system of food storage.
With simple user data inputs, information becomes available to the fridge: when food was stored, shelf-life of food, whether the food is a full-meal or an ingredient. The HUD on the outside of the fridge can then spit out recommendations – what to eat when, how to prepare it, what to throw out.