Welcome to the project website for FYP: 24069

Supervised by: Prof. Hengshuang Zhao

Project By: Pratik Bhattacharjee

The Mounting Challenge of Food Waste

Every day, millions of households across Hong Kong discard perfectly edible food. This isn’t just waste—it’s a silent environmental crisis happening right in our kitchens. With households contributing over 65% of Hong Kong’s food waste, translating to approximately 3,353 tonnes daily entering our landfills, we’re facing an urgent sustainability challenge that demands immediate attention.

The Real Cost Behind Every Discarded Meal

Beyond the environmental impact, food waste represents a staggering economic burden. Hong Kong loses an estimated HKD 60 million annually to surplus food, while globally, this figure reaches a shocking USD 940 billion. Each discarded grocery item represents wasted resources—water, energy, labor, and transportation—all consumed only to end up in landfills.

Why Does This Keep Happening?

Despite growing awareness, household food waste persists due to several critical factors:

Poor inventory visibility: Without knowing what’s in our pantries, we buy duplicates and forget about perishables
Confusion over expiry dates: Misinterpreting “best before” vs. “use by” labels leads to premature disposal
Busy urban lifestyles: Hectic schedules leave little time for meal planning and thoughtful grocery shopping
Lack of meal inspiration: Without ideas for using available ingredients, food often spoils before being consumed
Missing the tools: Most Hong Kong residents lack practical digital solutions designed for our local context

A Problem Waiting for a Solution

While government initiatives and NGOs focus on food redistribution, they primarily address waste after it occurs. What’s missing is a proactive, user-friendly tool that empowers individuals to prevent food waste before it happens—a gap that Santry was specifically designed to fill.

Learn About The Project Results By Watching The Demonstration Video Below

Our Approach: Smart Technology That Empowers Users

User-Centered Design Philosophy

Santry was developed using a prototype-driven approach, prioritizing real user needs from day one. Through 22 rigorous design iterations, we crafted an interface that balances simplicity with powerful features, ensuring that all major actions can be completed within just 4-5 taps. This meticulous attention to user experience makes food management accessible to everyone—from tech-savvy teens to busy professionals.

[Include image: A side-by-side comparison of your mobile app screens showing the home page and pantry management interface]

Powerful Technology Stack

Behind Santry’s intuitive interface lies a sophisticated technology ecosystem built for reliability and performance:

Cross-Platform Mobile App: Developed with React Native to ensure a consistent, native-like experience on both iOS and Android devices
Cloud-Based Processing: Powered by a Django REST API hosted on AWS for secure, scalable performance
Intelligent AI Integration: Leveraging advanced models like AWS Textract for receipt scanning and DeepSeek for expiry prediction and recipe generation
Asynchronous Architecture: Using Celery and Redis to handle complex tasks in the background, ensuring a responsive user experience