#FoodHackMKE -

The Challenge

Focused on food innovation and collaboration, our hackathon is bringing together industry leaders with the brightest and most ambitious ideas to tackle the most pressing challenges in food waste, food access, and food literacy. We welcome all ideas that push the boundaries of food innovation and make not only Wisconsin but the world, a better, more sustainable place. Our three main focus areas for attendees are:

Food Waste

 Every year, 1.1 billion pounds of food goes to waste in Wisconsin via farmers, grocers, restaurants, industrial or residential. The rise and acceptance of imperfect food has helped with food waste reduction, but with a meal gap of 1 in 7 households in Wisconsin being hungry we believe more food can be diverted from the landfill to people's dinner plate. 

Food Access

Every year, a total of 46.1 million American's are food insecure and live below the poverty line (<$25,000/ annually) - that's one in eight - who don't know where their next meal is coming from. In Milwaukee County, the ratio is even starker being 1 in 4 households (157,770 households), where children are present. The Federal government spends $51 billion annually on feeding programs such as food share, free school breakfast, and lunch and specialty programs like free formula and cereal through the Women Infant and Children Program (WIC). The problem is that people who need food services often don't know about them, have transportation to get to them or qualify for them.