"There are three stages to this annual competition." We began by submitting our Business Model Canvas (BMC). Later, the top 42 teams were chosen to move on to the second phase, which was the stage of making proposals. The final stage required the 10 selected teams to submit a pitch deck and a short profile video," Reo told an ITB Communication and Public Relation reporter on Tuesday (5/10/2021).

Originating from the problem of food waste, which is still prevalent in Indonesia, motivated their ambition to launch SMEAL. "SMEAL stands for surplus meal, so our major purpose is to reduce food waste,” said Dzaki.

Food waste can be defined as food that is squandered and goes to waste. Some of the consequences include reduced water supplies, the release of methane gas, which causes global warming, and even the destruction of land. Willys went on to say that their application was developed to solve the problem of wasted and harmful food waste. "This application will support the management of processed food products and will benefit many people in terms of food," he explained.

This mobile application will connect customers with various retail and wholesale shops that have a surplus of food or beverages that are not sold until the predetermined expiration date. According to their location and demands, SMEAL will present a list of outlets within a certain radius and time restriction.

"By allowing customers to pay via phone-compatible e-money services, we ensure a flexible and efficient service. Customers can also choose between a stand-alone takeout service and a delivery service. To provide optimal assistance to SMEAL users, a review feature is also provided once the order series has been completed," Reo stated. The work concept represents SMEAL's efforts to prevent food waste in Indonesia.

After receiving mentoring from the Freedon to Learn/Merdeka Belajar programs during classes, they worked on this proposal. Because of the majors' rigorous schedules and the competition's tight deadlines, they must manage their time wisely. In order to deliver the best results, the SMEAL team received advice from a number of friends who had previously won similar competitions.

Despite the fact that this was their first time working together as a team, the three of them were meticulous in their preparations. They did study using relevant literature materials and reliable data. Their pitching materials were also more varied and complete, which is a benefit.

"Hopefully, our proposal can be implemented and run smoothly so that it may relieve the problem of food waste in Indonesia," Dzaki said at the end of the interview.

Reporter: Maharani Rachmawati Purnomo (Oceanography, 2020)
Translator: Sekar Dianwidi Bisowarno (Bioengineering, 2019)