Aug 15, 2013 01:17 PM EDT
Leftover Swap App Lets Strangers Exchange Old Food

After you finish eating don't bother throwing out your leftovers; instead share them. 

According to the New York Daily News, a company has turned last night's leftovers into a trading games, by using an app called Leftover Swap. The app is aimed at reducing food waste and connecting leftover givers with takers. 

The app will let diners trade or give away their excess grub by taking food photos and uploading them to the database. If some on is searching for food, they browse for leftovers near their area and arrange for a pickup or delivery.

Co-founder Dan Newman and Bryan Summersett, a Seattle-based programmer, created Leftover Swap, in an effort to reduce wasted foods and compared the apps to the likes of Craig's list. 

"If you have a little community in your neighborhood and you don't want to eat the same lasagna for a week, why not trade that with another family?" Newman told the Daily News.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Leftover Swap co-founders came up with app three years ago at the University of Michigan. Newman and Summersett came up with the idea as a joke after ordering too much pizza. According to Newman, they have since realized they could be feeding a greater cause.

"Besides the 40% of food we waste, there is 16% of the American population without enough food to live a healthy lifestyle, which is mind boggling," said Newman, hoping the app will be a small step towards reducing world hunger by sharing meals with neighbors, according to the Daily News

"LeftoverSwap solves all of these problems," reads the description on the site. "LeftoverSwappers don't feel the need to eat an enormous restaurant portion, and instead pass it on to a hungrier neighbor, in turn learning their name and avoiding excess calories."

According to the Daily News there are no specified rules publicly outlined for the app yet, such as how raw proteins and fish will be handled or whether there is a maximum time frame between when the food is consumed and when it is given as a leftover. But Newman hopes people won't dish out leftovers that they would not eat themselves.

The app is slated to launch for iPhone on Aug. 30 and will be free to download. 

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST