Go Halfsies And Help End World Hunger And Fight Obesity

Oversized meals plague America’s restaurants. Compared with twenty years ago portions have grown tremendously, not only from food being bigger (bagels have gained almost three inches in diameter!) but also from larger plates, deep and wide bowls, and even certain colors used for tableware and cloths.

This is very unhealthy for consumers who are subtly encouraged to eat more and more, which has contributed to skyrocketing obesity and diabetes. But even worse, it has led to much more food waste. According to the UN, more than 925 million people go hungry around the world while on average 40 percent of the food produced in America is thrown out.

The new social initiative Halfsies aims to help stop unhealthy American eating habits and alleviate hunger by combining the two in a unique way: While dining at participating restaurants, people choose to receive a smaller portion at full price, with the difference in price donated to local and international anti-hunger non-profits. The process for both restaurants and consumers is very simple and streamlined, and will surely drive concerned customers to businesses that share their values.

A major barrier to philanthropy is the ‘think green, act mean’ problem, in which people profess certain values but do not act on them because of apathy, lack of information or the perception that their donation or act doesn’t matter. Halfies is one among a new wave of social ventures that tackle this problem with innovation, good design and a consumer-side focus. By giving people a choice of when to donate tied to a pleasurable action they do normally, Halfies and others make doing good as easy changing what and where you eat for lunch. The real stroke of brilliance is the single solution for two social problems, oversized portions and world hunger.

Check out the video below for more info:

Halfsies