The KnoWaste tech start-up, which has been awarded £10,000, aims to reduce food waste across the education sector by up to 50%. The new app has been tested at schools in Bristol and Cornwall using a traffic light system to highlight the environmental cost of a meal.
The four students who created the app are Sophie Elliott, Edward Stratton, Charlie Royle and Kesta Kemp.
Stratton told BBC News: "Catering teams know the exact number of diners eating but also the choice of meal, so that reduces production and spoilage waste.
“On the diner side, we use gamification and visualisation techniques to inform diners of the environmental cost of their food and improve the overall dining experience."
The quartet are planning to expand the app in the future to hospitals, universities and catered offices.