This Black Innovator’s Smart Fridges Are Tackling Food And Health Inequities In New Jersey
Dr. Leeja Carter has developed a smart refrigerator device that provides free healthy food items to schools and hospitals.
Dr. Carter is the CEO and founder of Coalition for Food and Health Equity (CFHE), which she launched after the pandemic when she recognized an increase in the number of people without food.
Dr. Carter now has several programs, including The Ujamaa Cafe and Ujamaa Well, which offer food and wellness innovation with access programs addressing food and health access.
The Ujamaa Cafe Fridge Program
The Ujamaa Cafe has now expanded to include a fridge program, where tech-enabled fridges are being placed within New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) designated areas.
The refrigerator is placed in food apartheid and food desert communities, where there is less than a half-mile access to fresh food and healthy options.
Up to 41 free food and drink options are available, including hibiscus teas, chocolate oat milk, health-conscious burritos, chipotle egg and cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and overnight oats with vegan, lactose-free, and gluten-free options.
The fridge’s technology also helps track user transactions and trends while capturing data for restocking and reducing waste.
“The fridge is stocked with healthy options from local operators. Each week, the fridge is curated based on user transitions and weekly metrics,” Dr. Carter told the Baltimore Times.
“There is no maximum or limit for food that people can take. Also, our fridges are de-surveilled, meaning we do not monitor the identity of the person taking the food, just the food taken in order to curate the fridge.”
Seven fridges have been placed in schools and hospitals across New Jersey, one at the Philadelphia, PA-based Abramson Cancer Center.
The Sankofa Youth Incubator Program
Dr. Carter has added an educational element to the Ujamaa Cafe at the schools, launching the Sankofa Youth Incubator Program, according to AfroTech.
The program provides young food entrepreneurs with education, support, and mentorship with front-end product placement.
“For the kids that are interested, if they have a food product that they want to take from ideation…they can enroll in our nine-month curriculum,” Dr. Carter told AfroTech.
“We are going to help them sell in a store, but also become part of our Ujamaa Cafe entrepreneur network and include them in our fridges.”
The Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology, which has one of the fridges, also plans to launch a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program.
This program will allow students to learn about the back-end predictive forecasting and modeling used to restock the smart fridge.
Image Credit: Coalition for Food and Health Equity
