“FLExPHD: Food is Life Exemplified,” a mobile app development competition, held a low-fidelity hackathon on May 13, 2023 to identify the Top 12 qualifying teams from a diverse range of participants including educational institutions, agricultural startups, and private individuals.
An app for the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is being developed through the competition. It is co-organized by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST) of DOST, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
The following are the top 12 teams identified:
Green Hive of Hijo Greens Incorporated
- The Green Hive team from Davao Del Norte aims to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers and develop an advanced Agri-hive community while promoting a planetary health diet.
Dietang Ina of the University of the Philippines Manila
- The Dietang Ina team is from the University of the Philippines Manila. Their Dietang INA (Innovative Nutrition Approach) app is a planetary health diet-centered mobile app showcasing Filipino cuisine with grocery solutions. It aims to alleviate the burden of non-communicable diseases and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Food Guru of the University of the Philippines Mindanao
- The Food Guru team is from the University of the Philippines Mindanao. Their app, Food Guru, is a game app that provides engaging nutritional education that supports the cardiovascular health system. This app also includes nutrition education about the nutritional values of food, sustainability, and the daily national guide pyramid for Filipinos depending on the set BMI. This game displays the importance of healthy foods to our bodies.
MAPA of Philippine Science High School - Eastern Visayas Campus
- MAPA, a dynamic team from PSHS-EVC, is dedicated to creating an app for the planetary health diet – rooted in the belief that to save the planet, all it takes to start is a step in the right direction. Victu's app is designed to promote a planetary health diet by streamlining cafeteria management. Their innovative features make healthy eating more accessible, and sustainability is prioritized.
M1R4G3 of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
- The M1R4G3 team comprises software developers, nutritionists, economists, and science communicators from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Their app, HEAL-PH (Healthy Eating, Active Lifestyle for Planetary Health), hopes to train Isko and Iska to make wise choices while young. The M1R4G3 team believes this is a valuable way to future-proof the next generation of community leaders, educators, scientists, and policymakers.
The PlanEATarians of UPLB
- The PlanEATarians is composed of UPLB’s experts in agribusiness, nutrition, culinary, and IT. The team aims to make Planetary Health Diet engaging, enjoyable, and appealing through their mobile app as they gamify the journey towards PHD. The PlanEATarians advocate improving Filipino well-being, ensuring a healthy planet.
OPLAN Diet of University of the Philippines Mindanao
- The OPLAN Diet is a five-member team from the University of the Philippines Mindanao. With the slogan “One Life, One Planet,” the group intends to help Filipino society transition to a Planetary Health Diet through their app O-PLAN. This app aims to create a healthier workforce to drive more productive economic activity in the country.
PLA2 of Central Luzon State University
- The PLA2 team is composed of six members from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU). Their app, called Planadong Plato, integrates the principles of Planetary Health Diet where agronomy-to-gastronomy is traced. This app will present a healthful menu to educate people on using locally available ingredients with low carbon and water footprint. Moreover, consumers will be able to connect with the local farmers in their community to source the freshest and budget-friendly ingredients that they need.
manoc
The manoc team is a small group located in Dumaguete. The team believes that people should feel good about getting healthier. Their human-centered solution is a nutrition app that nudges people in a better direction to make them 1% better every meal.
Binhi
- Powered by the goal of planting seedlings of change for the health of humans and our home planet, young professionals from the fields of nutrition, health, and tech came together as BINHI. BINHI presents SIBOL, an app to help users adopt the Planetary Health Diet as their health journey buds through nutritionist-approved relatable meal plans and a supportive community.
Ediscape
- The Ediscape team is from the Western Visayas. Their mobile app, Ediscape, is designed to help users make healthier, more sustainable food choices by offering locally sourced, planet-friendly, and personalized meal plans delivered to the consumers’ doorstep.
PlanPITO
- The PlanPITO is a six-member group from Metro Manila. Their mobile app, Hapag, is a meal planning app that generates personalized daily meal plans with complete recipes aligned with the Planetary Health Diet. This app is also backed by a nutritional hub that educates and encourages the users to practice PHD.
More than 50 teams submitted entries for the app development. This was shortlisted to the Top 40 teams after evaluation of the submission of the app concept and further trimmed down to the Top 12 after assessment of the low-fidelity prototypes.
The qualifying teams received a P50,000-cash grant to support their mobile app development further. The final stage will include an online high-fidelity hackathon on June 17, 2023 and the in-person Grand Pitching and Demo Day on June 28, 2023 where the winners will be chosen.
Cash awards will be provided to the three final winners.
- 1 Grand Prize Winner - P500,000.00
- 1 Second Prize Winner - P200,000.00
- 1 Third Prize Winner - P100,000.00