A team named "Plate-O"—comprising students Do-yeon Kim, Myeong-ah Shin, Ye-jin Choi, and Jeong-yoon Heo from the Department of Food and Nutrition—won the grand prize at the "2026 Future Generation Climate Action Open Innovation" awards ceremony held on October 16.

The program, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and co-organized by CJ Freshway and the Korea Environment Conservation Association, was designed to identify carbon-neutral practices applicable to the food industry. Six teams of university students, selected through an initial document review, refined their ideas through a series of missions, mentorship from industry professionals, and site visits, ultimately presenting their final proposals.

The Plate-O team proposed a "Zero-Loop" campaign aimed at reducing food waste in corporate cafeterias that utilize self-service (buffet-style) dining. Unlike conventional approaches that focus on encouraging diners to leave less food on their plates, this method guides customers to select an appropriate portion size from the outset and quantifies the remaining food waste for ongoing management.

Furthermore, the campaign incorporates customer feedback on menu items into future meal planning, ensuring a sustained reduction in food waste. The proposal was highly acclaimed for offering a concrete, actionable strategy that can be immediately implemented in existing food service environments.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the campaign was piloted from October 12 to 13 at "Greenteria," the corporate cafeteria located at CJ Freshway’s headquarters in Sangam, Seoul. During this pilot period, the average daily amount of food waste decreased by approximately 38% compared to the daily average recorded over the preceding three months. 

Students Shin Myeong-ah and Heo Jeong-yun stated, "We believe our success stemmed from combining the specialized knowledge of our team members to propose an idea that we both fully understood and could explain with confidence," adding, "Moving forward, we intend to continue developing ideas that can contribute to solving challenges within the food industry."