Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang today visited FOOD-CO, the food support flagship project under the Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development (SIE) Fund.

He gained a better understanding on how the collaborative food support platform has boosted the efficiency of food donations and distribution with the aid of information technology and data analysis.

Mr Yang received a briefing from staff of St James’ Settlement, which was engaged in running FOOD-CO, on the platform’s operation at the project’s Kwai Chung warehouse.

Through a mobile application, FOOD-CO facilitates information sharing by matching the supply of food more closely with the demand between donors and service operators in a convenient and time-saving manner.

The platform will soon introduce an automated one-stop logistics system comprising food delivery and temporary storage services for operators and an artificial intelligence chatbot to facilitate the donation process.

Mr Yang was pleased to see that the platform had enabled effective resource allocation and reinforced the message of “Save and Share” with an increasing number of both donors and beneficiaries.

He also toured the Kowloon Women’s Organisations Federation Lau Shun Man Fu Cheong Mutual Help Child Care Centre & Women Services Centre and joined volunteers as they distributed sweets, collected via the platform, to the elderly and needy to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year.

The SIE Fund, inaugurated in 2013 with $500 million allocated from the Lotteries Fund, has funded 200 projects that have benefitted 178,000 people.

The Government will soon seek another $500 million injection to further promote social innovation and entrepreneurship.