A new app is available to help University of Sheffield students manage their food inventory.
Named after the food-loving pig in the children’s book, Dr. Doolittle, Gub Gub is a free app where users can track the expenses and quantities of their groceries. Users can also download recipes and receive prizes from Sheffield’s Student Union by participating in quizzes on food sustainability.
Gub Gub founders Alexander Fletcher, a research associate in the geography department and Dave Cook, a 2013 Sheffield alumnus said they launched the app on October 21 in the hopes of making students more mindful about food waste.
Fletcher said: “We want as many students as possible to take part in the app, enjoy some of the rewards and hopefully spread the word to see if we can make a positive difference in food waste.”
Although Gub Gub was recently launched, the idea to create a food managing app has been around for years. Gub Gub is based off of a similar app Cook created in 2019 called SeeFood Limited.
The inspiration to create SeeFood Limited came from Cook’s own experience with food waste as a Sheffield student.
Cook said: “When I was a student my parents gave me a huge box of food. I had no idea about cooking or storing so I wasted a lot of food. I felt a bit bad that it cost me a lot of money.”
Gub Gub will be available exclusively for University of Sheffield students to download until February 2022. After that, Cook and Fletcher said they plan to collect the feedback they’ve acquired from users to improve Gub Gub and make it more accessible for university students around the UK.
Any student can download the app on either their iPhone or Android by logging on to www.gubgub.co.uk. Those who have any questions or feedback about Gub Gub can contact help@gubgub.co.uk.
