Qassim food-waste hackathon advanced 50 ideas from more than 220 submissions

Qassim University concluded a two-day hackathon on reducing food loss and waste, with 50 ideas selected for a final ceremony from more than 220 submissions, the Saudi Press Agency reported on October 25, 2026. The event was organised by the university’s Institute for Studies and Consulting Services in cooperation with the General Food Security Authority.

The 50 finalists were distributed across five tracks, with 25 in-person and 25 remote entries. The source says the submissions aimed to develop practical solutions across five stages of the food value chain. It does not name the winning teams or describe the solutions selected for the final ceremony.

Organisers linked the event to the use of technology, data and artificial intelligence to improve supply chains and measure food-loss and waste indicators. The stated goal is to build practical approaches to reducing losses across the chain. The report does not specify which technologies participants used, what indicators were applied or whether any prototype has been tested outside the event.

The programme is associated with Letadom, Saudi Arabia’s National Program to Reduce Food Loss and Waste, and the broader goals of Vision 2030. The announcement gives counts of submitted and shortlisted ideas, but no baseline for food loss, target reduction, implementation budget or timetable for putting ideas into practice.

The distinction between entries and tested interventions matters: a hackathon submission is an idea, not evidence that food waste has already fallen. The 50 finalists show the size of the pool advancing to the event’s final stage, while the reported total of more than 220 indicates the initial volume of submissions. Neither count measures the effect of the ideas.

The next useful evidence would be the final selection, details of any winning projects and whether the organisers provide support for testing or adoption. In the October 25 report, those outcomes were not yet described. The release documents an innovation event and its participation figures, rather than verified changes in food supply chains or waste levels.

A separate Qassim University account published on October 22 provides context on how the idea pool was assembled. It says more than 220 ideas were received after a selection process involving 600 submissions, with more than 100 mentors and judges available to support development. The university said the event covered five stages of the food value chain and was organised with the General Authority for Food Security; Bank Albilad also described itself as a partner. These figures refer to the university account and should not be merged with the later SPA report's 50 finalists, split evenly between in-person and remote participation.