🌿 AI Can Save Both Food and Money

There’s far more food produced in the developed world than we consume. The UN estimates that more than a billion metric tons of food produced on the planet annually goes to waste. In the US, a third of the food grown is never eaten. In the catering industry, up to 20% of the food purchased is also not used, and hotels alone lose $100 million a year.

Unused food accounts for 10% of global greenhouse emissions as well. Thanks to AI, there's a chance to handle this issue and significantly reduce food waste. British startup Winnow has launched an innovative system with smart cameras and tablets installed above waste bins in restaurant kitchens worldwide.

♻️ How does it work?

The built-in cameras automatically capture images of food waste. The AI tool catalogs them and analyzes which products are being thrown out more often, including their weight, size, and nutritional value. AI can tell the difference between a half pan of lasagna (valuable) and a banana peel (not so much).

Using this data, algorithms calculate the financial loss from unused food and offer recommendations to reduce waste.

The startup already boasts customers in 70 countries. These include cafes at 400 Ikea stores, leading hotel chains such as Hilton, Four Seasons, Marriott, Radisson, and others, restaurants on cruise ships, hospitals, and catering services of Emirates and other big airlines.

🔝 Results

This tool helps businesses reduce food waste by at least 45% annually and cut food costs by 8%.

Portion sizes, too, can undergo smart revisions based on AI data. It has already happened at some Hilton hotels where AI-powered cameras from Winnow were recently installed. The croissants’ and other breakfast pastries’ sizes were reduced as these were often left uneaten. Thanks to the AI tool, Ikea restaurants have also cut food waste by 50%, saving more than 20 million servings.

Source

#news @hiaimediaen