eigenfood

Inspiration

Food is culture, care, and community—but for millions in food deserts, access to healthy, affordable meals is a daily challenge. Systemic barriers, not personal choice, drive this crisis. We asked: What if technology could bridge that gap? EigenFood was born from the belief that everyone deserves the tools to eat well—with dignity and ease.

What it does

EigenFood is a mobile app that helps people in food deserts find nutritious, affordable, and culturally relevant meals. It analyzes menus from local food spots—like corner stores and restaurants—and generates complete, ready-to-order meal suggestions tailored to health, budget, and dietary needs.

How we built it

We used Gemini Flash 2.0 to interpret messy menu data and generate smart, personalized recommendations. Google Places API maps nearby food providers, and our React Native frontend ensures cross-platform access—even on low-bandwidth devices.

Challenges we ran into

• Unstructured menu data made parsing nutrition and pricing tough.
  
• Limited food providers in some areas reduced healthy options.
  
• Real-time inventory issues made availability unpredictable without POS integrations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Built a culturally aware nutrition engine that respects food traditions while promoting health.
  
• Created a smart, accessible AI tool that works on any phone, anywhere.

What we learned

We gained hands-on experience with React Native, Google Gemini, and food justice research—deepening both our technical skills and understanding of food insecurity.

What’s next for EigenFood

We’re expanding into more underserved neighborhoods, improving meal personalization, and building tools for small food vendors. Features like gamified health tracking and rewards are also in the works to keep users engaged and empowered.

Built With

• gemini
• google
• google-genai
• google-places
• react-native