SMART FOOD WASTE RESCUE HUB APPLICATION: IOT-ENABLED PLATFORM FOR SURPLUS FOOD REDISTRIBUTION
Food waste is a critical global challenge with profound environmental, economic, and social implications. Over 1.3 billion tons of edible food are discarded annually by restaurants, grocery stores, hostels, and households, while concurrently 828 million people face chronic food insecurity. This paper presents the Smart Food Waste Rescue Hub Application — a comprehensive digital platform designed to mitigate food waste by facilitating efficient redistribution of surplus food from donors to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), shelters, and beneficiaries. The proposed system leverages modern web technologies integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to ensure transparency, traceability, and food safety throughout the entire donation lifecycle. The application is developed using Next.js 14 and Tailwind CSS for a responsive and accessible frontend, with Firebase serving as the scalable backend infrastructure handling authentication, real-time Firestore database management, and cloud storage. A critical innovation is the integration of an ESP32 microcontroller equipped with DHT22 temperature/humidity sensors and MQ-series gas sensors, which continuously monitor environmental conditions during food storage and transit, automatically triggering alerts to stakeholders when predefined safety thresholds are breached. A 3-month pilot deployment across 15 restaurants and 8 NGOs in Coimbatore rescued 847 kg of food, saved 2.19 tons of CO₂ equivalent, achieved 96.8% alert accuracy, and reduced average pickup time by 42%. The platform presents a sustainable, scalable blueprint for bridging food surplus and scarcity while promoting environmental sustainability.
Devika, S., V, S. S., J, S. I. A., S, S. B. & huthaiffa, S. I. (2026). Smart Food Waste Rescue Hub Application: IOT-Enabled Platform for Surplus Food Redistribution. International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, 02(05). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i5.132
Devika, S.T., et al.. "Smart Food Waste Rescue Hub Application: IOT-Enabled Platform for Surplus Food Redistribution." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, vol. 02, no. 05, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i5.132.
Devika, S.T.,Syed V,Sathak J,Sujan S, and Sheik huthaiffa. "Smart Food Waste Rescue Hub Application: IOT-Enabled Platform for Surplus Food Redistribution." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology 02, no. 05 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i5.132.
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