FoodSnap: AI-Powered Food Discovery for Sustainable Living and Zero Hunger

Food has transcended its traditional role as mere sustenance, becoming a powerful medium for self-expression, emotional well-being, and social connection. However, existing digital platforms fail to meet the evolving needs of food enthusiasts, forcing users to navigate fragmented apps for content sharing, discovery, and community engagement—leading to inefficiencies and diminished satisfaction. Additionally, generic recommendations contribute to decision fatigue, underscoring the need for a unified, AI-driven solution. This paper introduces FoodSnap, a web-based social media application designed to integrate food discovery, community interaction, and sustainability education into a single platform. Developed using Agile methodology, FoodSnap combines three core features: (i) a social hub for sharing recipes and experiences, (ii) an AI-powered recommendation engine (leveraging Google Gemini) for personalised meal suggestions, and (iii) an educational hub promoting sustainable practices like food waste reduction. Built with React.js, Firebase, and MongoDB, the platform prioritises usability and scalability. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) revealed strong approval, with 90% of participants praising its intuitive content creation, map-based discovery (via OpenStreetMap), and AI-driven recommendations. The educational modules, aligned with SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 12 (Responsible Consumption), further enhanced engagement, with users rating the app’s design and mission positively. These results validate FoodSnap as an effective solution to platform fragmentation, offering a cohesive, user-centric experience that bridges culinary discovery, social interaction, and sustainability advocacy.