Research at Null Set Labs

Food Systems and Access

Research and tools for nutritional quality, community food systems, and the economics of food access.

The lab studies what people eat and how food reaches them, and builds tools that food banks and community programs can use.

Pantry Dashboard · live tool
NutriScan · in preparation
Food Bank Efficiency · in preparation
Projects

Key projects in food systems and access

Pantry Dashboard
Live

Browser dashboard that turns a food bank's intake spreadsheet into operational views. Free to use, with a synthetic sample workbook.

nullsetlabs.org/foodbank-dashboard
A B C D E
NutriScan
In Preparation

Multi-source nutritional quality classifier built on Nutri-Score, NOVA, and the UK FSA traffic-light system.

food.nullsetlabs.org/nutriscan
Community Food Bank Efficiency
In Preparation

Operational research on local food bank workflows, demand patterns, and economic disparities in food access. Public deliverable: the Pantry Dashboard.

food.nullsetlabs.org/community-food-bank
Status

Applications and current status

Pantry Dashboard
Food bank records as operational views

A food bank's records are often wide, sparse spreadsheets that no one has time to read closely. The Pantry Dashboard turns those into capacity and demand views staff can act on. It is free to use and includes a synthetic sample workbook.

NutriScan
Three published nutrition ratings, applied together

Front-of-pack scores disagree across systems and under-represent some diets. NutriScan brings published methods such as Nutri-Score, NOVA, and FSA traffic lights into one comparison, so a product's nutritional picture is easier to read.

Community Food Bank Efficiency
Research on food bank operations

Community Food Bank Efficiency studies workflows, demand patterns, and disparities in access. The work is in preparation, built on the same data the Pantry Dashboard already puts to use.