A group of young entrepreneurs from Hamilton, Ohio are working hard to solve three big global challenges in their own backyards: hunger, poverty, and food waste.
The team from Butler Tech Ross High School launched the food rescue service JEE Foods as part of Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Challenge, which aims to show how young people can use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to improve the communities where they live.
According to the Samsung Newsroom, the students, who worked on the project virtually with another group of students in Korea, identified three areas that were contributing to food waste and hunger in their town: a lack of jobs, education, and economic resources.
Hamilton has one of the highest ratings for food insecurity in Ohio, a state where 1 in 8 people are experiencing hunger, according to Feeding America. But the problem is much bigger than Ohio. While there is more than enough food on the planet to feed everyone, much of it gets wasted. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 33% of food produced globally is either wasted or lost.
How is JEE Solving Food Waste in Ohio?
JEE Foods, which collects donated food from local farms and gardens, national grocery stores, and major food chains, reprocesses food using special recipes that extend shelf life, and uses dehydrating, flash freezing, and vacuum packaging technology to preserve foods and maintain their nutritional value. The food is then sold as low-cost meals to those in need, according to the group’s website. People can also work at JEE in exchange for food, and earn food safety certifications they can use to get a job.
Over 5.4 Million Pounds of Food Delivered
Since it launched, JEE Foods has delivered more than 5.4 million pounds of food to over 805,000 community members. Its next step? Become carbon-neutral by 2025 through more efficient production and distribution strategies.
According to Thomas O’Neill, a teacher and Board President of JEE Foods, the project is teaching students about a lot more than food preservation.
“Their priorities change,” Mr. O’Neill told Samsung. “Their social life becomes less important than figuring out how to help people.”
Learn more about the program.