Camden Council has announced the four finalists for the first-ever Camden Challenge Prize, an initiative designed to harness innovation and creativity to transform how food waste is prevented and managed across Camden’s Hospitality and Food Service sector.

Following a competitive application process, the following projects have been shortlisted for their bold ideas and potential to make a real impact:

Limetrack – Deploying SMART wheelie bins that automatically and cost-effectively record valuable food-waste data. Limetrack will provide hospitality businesses with precise, actionable insights by integrating food-waste data with Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems.
From Fork to Field – Soil Systems will transform food waste into nutrient-rich soil pellets through a fast, odour-free fermentation process, creating a circular link between restaurants and local growers.
CarbonTrac Camden – Adapting a proven supermarket intelligence platform, CarbonTrac will help hospitality businesses predict and prevent surplus food waste, supported by gamified dashboards that engage staff.
ZeroWasteOS – Using predictive analytics and computer vision, ZeroWasteOS will forecast dish demand and track waste in real time, enabling smarter decisions and reducing inefficiencies.

Each shortlisted team will receive £5,000 to develop prototypes and run pilots with Camden businesses and community partners.

Councillor Anna Wright, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care and Food Mission Lead, said:

“We are working in partnership with residents, businesses, and community organisations to ensure every person in Camden has access to nutritious, affordable and sustainable food. This Challenge Prize is encouraging a range of organisations to find new ways to reduce waste and make sure more of our food is used and enjoyed, and I’m excited to see which project the judges will choose as the winners.”

The finalists were selected by a panel of experts in innovation, sustainability, and food systems, who helped to identify bold, innovative ideas. The judging panel included representatives from Future Food Movement, Google UK, Moree Limited, Nesta Challenge Works, The Sustainable Restaurant Association and even a pastry chef from Claridge’s.

The Camden Challenge Prize encourages people to think of innovative ways of tackling our four Missions which centre around food, young people, estates and neighbourhoods, and diversity. This year’s focus is on Camden’s Food Mission as food security and sustainability are significant concerns are significant concerns in the borough.

The winner will be awarded £75,000 to continue developing their ideas, implement and scale their work, with the runner up securing £25,000.

The shortlisted teams will showcase their prototypes at the Camden Challenge Prize Demo Day in early 2026, where one winner will be awarded the grand prize.

For more information on the Camden Challenge Prize, visit wemakecamden.org.uk/camden-challenge-prize