Sara Menker and Gro Intelligence Are Tackling Global Hunger with New Food Waste App For iPad and iPhone
Sara Menker, founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence, Inc. (grointel.com), an organization working to eliminate hunger at home and around the world with new solutions utilizing technology, was awarded a 2012 MIT Media Lab Innovator in Residence Fund grant to study how people in developing countries respond to the growing number of food waste, and to implement their insights into new solutions. Ms. Menker, a former newspaper reporter, is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of global hunger and public health. As founder of Gro Intelligence, Inc., a non-governmental organization, she has spent years working with food systems around the world, and developing innovative solutions which help them succeed.
According to World Hunger Monitor 2012 Data, more than 14 million people around the world are considered food insecure. With nearly 16 million people suffering from hunger in the United States, this number is expected to grow to between 22 and 23 million by the end of the decade. In the United States, 25% of all households consume enough food to meet basic needs, but are not able to feed themselves. This represents a loss in productivity, which costs U.S. companies more than $150 billion per year. More than 14 million people are now hungry around the world, and the number is projected to reach 25.8 million by 2030. In addition, the number of people killed by hunger, particularly children and pregnant women, are also increasing.
To this end, Gro Intelligence, Inc., a non-profit organization that has offices in the US, Brazil, and South Africa, has been working with organizations in the areas of food waste, agricultural production, and public health. Gro Intelligence is currently working with UNDP to tackle the global need for more and better nutritious food from local governments. Gro Intelligence also works with organizations working to end the world hunger by identifying new solutions which can be applied in the field. These solutions, which include new agricultural practices, food waste, and the use of technology, are developed by Gro Intelligence working with local organizations around the world. After completing this work, these solutions will be brought into the market to help people in developing countries avoid hunger.
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