AI technology boosts food recycling in retail supply chains
A new food recycling technology powered by artificial intelligence will transform food scraps from the US supermarket chain Whole Foods into chicken feed, contributing to egg production.
As reported by Axios in an exclusive, the technology developed by startup Mill could reduce waste volumes by up to 80%. The system would also limit greenhouse gas emissions linked to food waste, generating cost savings for Whole Foods.
The scale of global food waste
According to the United Nations, one in eleven people worldwide suffers from hunger. Around 735 million people face hunger globally. Yet large quantities of food are discarded every day.
Globally, nearly 13.2% of food produced is lost between harvest and retail. In households, food services and retail combined, almost 19% of total global food production is wasted. At home alone, food thrown away daily is estimated to equal nearly 1 billion meals.
Food waste generates 8–10% of greenhouse gas emissions
Food waste accounts for between 8% and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, opportunities to finance food waste reduction and low-carbon diets remain largely untapped, with only $0.1 billion invested annually in 2019/20.
Artificial intelligence can strengthen food recycling
How does the new system work? A machine dehydrates and grinds food scraps into a material with a consistency similar to coffee grounds, which can then be composted or used as chicken feed.
Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, and Mill aim to distribute these AI-powered bins in Whole Foods stores by 2027. The containers, equipped with artificial intelligence, would allow Amazon – and potentially other supermarkets and restaurants in the future – to analyse in real time which products are not used and end up wasted.
“If all the croissants are being thrown away, maybe fewer should be baked,” Mill co-founder and CEO Matt Rogers told Axios.
Demand for technologies that concretely apply artificial intelligence is growing, and other companies besides Mill are experimenting with similar initiatives.
Rogers previously co-founded Nest, the smart thermostat company acquired by Google in 2014 for $3.2 billion. Mill is now positioning itself as a pioneer in transforming food waste into animal feed. Until now, the company had focused on households and workplaces, selling a device roughly the size of a trash bin. It is now targeting large-scale retail distribution.
Amazon is investing an undisclosed amount in Mill. Since its founding in 2020, the company has raised a total of $250 million.
Technically, implementation remains complex. Mill is working to ensure the technology functions effectively within kitchens, offering real-time AI-based analytics. The company will soon begin engaging restaurants as the next customer segment.