Social Innovation Weekend

Food access describes the process by which people can realistically access food physically and economically. According to the USDA, 18.3 million people struggled with food security in 2024. These families often have to prioritize price and convenience over nutrition, thus leading to malnutrition and other health complications.

This perspective invites exploration, critical thinking, and synthesis of how people are accessing food and the nutritional value of the food they eat. This area encourages those who want to explore nutrition, diets, health effects, and actionable steps for individuals.  

• Food Insecurity’s Long-Term Health Complications
• No One Should Go Hungry in America
• Food Security in the U.S. - Key Statistics 

Describes the role of large-scale, standardized, and professionally managed food systems, including supermarkets, restaurant chains, institutional food services, and corporate distribution networks, in addressing food insecurity. Last year, Ohio's corporate and chain-based food systems donated about 105 million pounds of food to communities in need, while an estimated 70 million pounds still ended up in landfills.

This area invites exploration of the opportunities, challenges, and potential for innovation within corporate and chain-based food systems, including their relationships with communities, local organizations, and the broader food ecosystem.

• ReFED
• Ohio Association of Foodbanks

Local food systems describes a collaborative network that integrates food production, processing, storage, distribution, and consumption within a defined region. Because it often relies on small-scale farms that lack the economies of scale and industrial infrastructure of large agribusinesses, its products often carry 15%-30% price premiums and remain uniquely vulnerable to local environmental conditions and regional policy shifts.

This area challenges students to look into where their food is coming from, and how they can help to come up with solutions towards more efficient production and sale of foods in order to improve efficiency in reducing these vulnerabilities.

• USDA Local/Regional Food Systems Resource Guide
• Ohio Farmers Market Network

Food rescue describes the practice of reducing food waste by distributing safe, otherwise unused food and allocating it to areas in need. According to the USDA, approximately 40% of the food supply in the USA goes to waste in some capacity yearly. Food waste costs the average family of four $56 a week in unused or discarded food.

This area invites exploration of the gaps, inefficiencies, and potential for innovation within food distribution and rescue systems, including how surplus food moves between producers, retailers, nonprofits, and the communities that need it most.

• EPA Food Waste Cost
• USDA Food Waste
• Food Waste Outlook