Bellevue High School Student Develops FOODTLK Business Plan to Reduce Fresh Food Waste in Grocery Stores

    BELLEVUE, WA, April 27, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Food waste has become a major contributor to climate change with 63 million tons of food wasted every year in the United States. According to the Guardian, the food supply chain wastes 45% of all vegetables, 35% of seafood, 30% of cereals, and 20% of meat and dairy products every year. Grocery stores are responsible for 10% of all U.S. food waste. In an unprecedented event, high school junior Alyssa Lin is founding FoodTLK LLC and developed a plan to reduce fresh food waste in grocery stores using smart labels and machine learning. In year 1, she plans to target and roll out FoodTLK solutions to 10 Safeway and QFC stores in the Puget Sound area and optimize operations in the region; in year 2, she aims to grow to 50 Safeway and QFC stores in Washington state; and in year 3, she plans go national and target 600 stores which is comprised of 0.9% of the total addressable market in US.

"Food waste is a serious concern and the idea of FoodTLK is a delight. It's an innovation combining machine learning and smart labels to reduce food waste," said Jin Zhang, Director of Engineering, a major social media company. "I'd be keen to follow FoodTLK and its growth."

Alyssa Lin's business plan for FoodTLK aligns directly with her passion for STEM and her goals to empower girls who are interested in pursuing careers in technology which she is already currently promoting through her podcast, a Women's Journey in Tech. Her research project, "Scientific and feasibility assessment of using intelligent packaging to reduce refresh food waste" won an Excellent award in Environmental sustainability in Washington State (2022), along with 2nd Place at Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (2022) and 3rd Place at Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair (2022). Currently her innovative business plan, "FoodTLK Business Plan: Using Smart Labels and Machine Learning to Reduce Fresh Food Waste" is selected as a finalist for Genius Olympia international competition (June 2023) and has advanced to the top 30 Blue Ocean competition internationally And, without question this extraordinary high school student is just getting started.

"This is a fascinating project. It incorporates the economic idea of elasticity of demand into computer technology and has a great potential of reducing wastes in food supply chains," said Susan Zhu, Professor of Economics, Michigan State University. "Alyssa has shown initiative in evaluating various factors and in researching new technology."

About Alyssa Lin

Alyssa Lin is a junior at Bellevue High School located in the state of Washington. She is the podcast host of a Women's Journey in Tech. highlighting Asian American women in the STEM field. Alyssa Lin's goal is to share their stories and empower girls interested in pursuing their passions in technology. For more information please visit: https://rss.com/podcasts/womenintech/.

# # #