Gaudy Grapefruits

As someone who has been trying to eat healthier, more locally farmed foods in the past year, I have noticed a major waste problem that is taking over major grocery store chains. Produce is greatly wasted everyday for the most minor flaws in their appearance. On top of waste, the Brunswick/New Hanover county area struggles with obesity along with poverty stricken homes and homelessness, and these people have a hard time accessing healthy meals on a budget. I wanted to launch a food truck program that takes the imperfect produce along with the past sell by date but not really expired dairy items and creates a new custom menu based on what foods are supplied. This food truck would go around the Brunswick/New Hanover county areas and serve the food for little, and possibly no cost to the homeless.

I created the branding, packaging, and vehicle wrap for this food truck. I wanted to utilize reds and oranges to stimulate appetite along with green to stand for sustainability. The packaging utilized cardboard and earth friendly materials. No plastic was used for the packaging for this food truck.

Although I would love to see better eating habits and less waste influence and develop in young children’s lives, this project would be better aimed at adults aged 20-50. This age group seems to be the least picky about their foods, especially if it were for the common good. The campaign wouldn’t have an end date and would hopefully be everlasting, so volunteers would most likely be needed over time.

My objective was to improve the waste, health, and poverty in the local area all wrapped up in a volunteer based project. This food truck would take in good foods that were going to be thrown away by major grocery chains such as Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s, minimizing food waste. Then, they would create healthy meals, tackling the nutrition issue. Finally, they would ideally serve these meals in low income areas around Brunswick and New Hanover county, helping families receive better food for a low price.