Hello Reader!

Welcome to the Foodnomics community! My name is John Liu, founder and President of Foodnomics, a national organization dedicated to empowering high schoolers focused on food reduction waste in their local communities. Growing up the son of two immigrant parents from China, both of whom lived through and seen their families devastated by the Great Leap Forward famine, I've been instilled with a deep appreciation for a belly full from a young age.

The Spark of Inspiration

In sixth grade, after researching the percentage of people facing food insecurity in the Greater Princeton area for a project (where I'm from), I was shocked by how many of my neighbors, classmates, and teachers saw and experienced low food security in my immediate community. As a result, I started volunteering for Meals on Wheels, a community based program that delivers nutritious meals to those who lack access. After many years of weekday deliveries, I still felt something missing—while I was helping seven to nine families every week, what about millions of people in the United States who still went to bed hungry? To me, my actions still felt insignificant, and I wanted to do more.

A Staggering Realization

During freshman year of high school, after discovering how much food we wasted in the cafeteria every day, I researched a staggering statistic—the world produces enough food to feed every human—though up to 40% of the food supply is wasted every year. Upon learning this critical information, I immediately started thinking about the most effective ways to reach the most people, specifically for cafeterias and restaurants where food waste is more prevalent. Foodnomics was born!

Building the Solution

Over the past two years, I have worked on creating an app (also titled Foodnomics) that uses the explosive power of large language models to identify, track, and calculate different food categories and the cost of waste, as well as highlighting food categories that are repeatedly wasted more than others.

Growing the Movement

In addition to the app, I also reached out to passionate and persistent high schoolers, introducing them to the problem of food waste and pledging them to try and reduce food waste at their schools and homes, using the Foodnomics app and other resources we provide.

Now Foodnomics is a thriving network of ten chapters spanning the East Coast to the west—with more on the way!

Our Impact & Future Vision

If you are curious about our activities, setting up a chapter at your school, or anything related to food insecurity, please navigate to the "Application" section and let us know!

Closing Message

Committed to preventing food waste, one meal at a time.