New app with U-M roots lets you share your food with strangers
Soon you will be able to share your leftovers with strangers with a handy smartphone app.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
Social media and smartphones have made it easy — maybe too easy — to share photos of your food with your friends. According to a story from NPR, there will soon be a smartphone app designed for the purpose of taking that sharing to a new level.
Leftover Swap, an app dreamed up by former University of Michigan roommates Newman and Bryan Summersett, will allow users to snap photos of their leftover restaurant meals for the purpose of swapping with or donating to other app users.
Newman and Summersett hope to launch the free food sharing app by the end of August, though food safety officials have expressed some concerns about the program.
"Even if it came from the cleanest, best-inspected restaurant in San Francisco, it could still have been handled by some grubby hipster with no hygiene standards," said SF Weekly writer Rachel Swan.
"Let's say everything was on the up-and-up," said Richard Lee, director of the San Francisco Health Department's environmental regulatory program. "The people might not have washed their hands. They might be diseased."
You can read the full story on NPR.org.
Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com, a part of the MLive Media Group. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
Jessica Webster
Wed, Jul 31, 2013 : 5:23 p.m.
Just a quick note - I got an email from the folks at Leftover Swap letting me know that NPR had the story wrong - though the friends were roommates at U of M, they didn't have the idea for the app until after that time.
eldegee
Wed, Jul 31, 2013 : 12:31 a.m.
Great idea if you raise hogs. Sooey!
Mike
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 11:03 p.m.
This is truly one of the worst ideas I have ever heard.
Jake C
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 3:02 p.m.
While I probably wouldn't personally use an app like this often, if at all, I can see why someone would create it, and why other people might want to use it. There's a growing sense in this country (and around the world) that we unnecessarily waste a lot of resources -- everything from food and water, to gasoline and clothes. Some people love second-hand stores. Other people think they're "icky" because another person wore the clothes first. People used to use bulletin boards to find ride-sharing partners. You'd basically be contacting some random stranger to hitch a ride from Ann Arbor to Chicago or wherever. You can do the same thing now with apps. Same with food sharing -- if you had a bunch of leftovers from a party that you knew you couldn't eat before they spoiled, maybe you'd knock on your neighbor's door and offer to share some. But people don't seem to know their neighbors as well these days. This is just another (technology-enabled) way to encourage communication and sharing with our neighbors. If you don't like it or think it's "icky", then feel free not to use it. I'm sure the younger generation will be happy to give it a try. I expect all this hysteria of Hep A or the Plague running rampant will be quite unfounded. You probably have more to worry about from that Kenmore grill on your back porch you haven't properly cleaned in two years, or that Veggie drawer in your fridge that is covered with old food bits and hasn't been washed, ever.
YpsiYapper
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 10:42 a.m.
I am not the least surprised. Disgusted yes! We were all informed years ago there would be an app for everything.
bunnyabbot
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 5:04 a.m.
What does it say about society when people are now to lazy to take their own leftovers home and eat it themselves.
Jake C
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 2:45 p.m.
That's kind of a strange comment. The truly lazy thing to do would be just to leave your leftover food at the restaurant or throw it in the garbage. On the other hand, people would be going out of their way to download an app, upload a description of their leftovers, and then meet up with a stranger to donate it.
rsa221
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 3:04 a.m.
Pretty gross. Also "What behaviors could put me at risk for infection with the Hepatitis A virus? Eating contaminated food, such as undercooked shellfish from contaminated water or food handled by someone who has hepatitis A. Using utensils, cups or glasses that an infected person touched with unwashed hands. Changing diapers or linens that contain stool from someone with hepatitis A and neglecting to wash your hands. Sharing food with an infected person."
Jake C
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 3:05 p.m.
So you're saying every time you go out to eat at a restaurant you're putting yourself at risk for Hep A when your waitress brings you a glass of water?
Mary Bilyeu
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 2:50 a.m.
I'm fairly notorious for leftover hoarding, even once taking home the fabulous cream sauce left over from the Galway Bay Mussels at Conor O'Neill's; it was fabulous on pasta! I'll either reheat or re-purpose almost anything. BUT it was either mine to begin with or it came from a loved one. How would I know whether some stranger had held the food and then decided not to eat it? It may have been touched with their utensils. Ewwww!!! And who knows what might happen in transit? Ick!
Jake C
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 3:08 p.m.
You probably should worry more about the sanitation of the restaurant itself than whatever person happens to be sharing their leftovers with you. How do you know whether your cook didn't spit in your food? How do you know whether your waitress didn't go to the bathroom and then not wash her hands before bringing you that Filet Mignon? One nice thing about apps like these (whether it's food sharing or restaurant reviews) is that "reputation systems" can be built in. That means you register an account, and other people can rate you. You can give restaurants a poor rating on Yelp or Google if they have poor service, and you should be able to do the same with an app like this (hopefully) So if a user continuously offers gross two-day old pizza for sharing, he'll end up with a 1-star rating and you'll know to steer clear.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 1:57 a.m.
Funny concept. It should have a following among friends, even if they don't share the food.
FredMax
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 1:29 a.m.
App authors; don't forget to purchase liability insurance.
JRW
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 1:17 a.m.
The homeless might be interested, unfortunately, but they rarely have iphones. Really bad idea.
JRW
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 1:15 a.m.
You must be joking. This will fail due to sanitation issues.
UM owns
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 10:43 p.m.
Kyle Meinke would love it! Me, not so much.
DBH
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 10:03 p.m.
Wait a minute, do I have the date wrong? Is it April 1 today?
treetowncartel
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
Horrid!
DJBudSonic
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 9:45 p.m.
"Even if it came from the cleanest, best-inspected restaurant in San Francisco, it could still have been handled by some grubby hipster with no hygiene standards," said Richard Lee, director of the San Francisco Health Department's environmental regulatory program. Does anything else need to be said? Sounds like this guy has been to Ann Arbor.
Jake C
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 3:09 p.m.
I can assure you that Ann Arbor has nothing on San Francisco when it comes to the hipster and Freegan population.
Jessica Webster
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 9:40 p.m.
I feel as though I should explain the picture of the half-eaten burgers. Back in June, when we were accompanying MLive's John Gonzalez on his quest to find the best burger in MIchigan, I snapped a picture of all of John's burger remnants at Sidetrack. Not that it makes the photo any less icky, but I wanted to be clear that I don't usually take pictures of half-eaten food.
Paula Gardner
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 10:13 a.m.
I feel better now. Thanks for sharing that!
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Jul 30, 2013 : 1:54 a.m.
Oh, I don't know. "Noted Burger remnant aficionado" has quite a ring to it!