Every year an unimaginable amount of food is wasted around the world, especially in the richest countries. Artificial intelligence takes to the field to monitor waste in an attempt to limit this phenomenon.
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Artificial intelligence monitors waste: the aim for less waste
Considering that one part of the world lives in comfortable conditions, while the other struggles daily to survive and meet its daily needs, food waste is becoming increasingly intolerable.
The numbers speak for themselves: every year around a billion tons of food is thrown away in the world. To give an example, in the United States, every year, a third of the products grown are not consumed.
Damage that is starting to become irreparable also from an environme point of view al well. According to the 2018 study published in Science, approximately 26% of air pollution is caused by the food supply chain. Of this percentage, approximately 20% is food consumed while 6% is thrown into waste.
In short, a condition that cannot exist and that must be limited before it is too late. Restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and shops throw away millions of tons of food every year. Technology has decided to intervene by bringing artificial intelligence directly into the field.
The AI that monitors food waste
Having acknowledged that the problem can no longer go unnoticed, several companies have decided to get involved and make new tools available to combat the phenomenon of food waste.
Winnow Solutions, an IT company, has developed innovative software that uses artificial intelligence to monitor waste, in particular that thrown away by kitchens and hotels. At first, a camera records what is thrown and recognizes it.
Next, it estimates the percentage of food eaten versus wasted from a plate. In essence, it counts the “bites” given to a certain dish and then evaluates the waste. The data is then sent to an algorithm that suggests how to rethink quantities and purchases.
For example, a portion may be too large, resulting in few people finishing it. Thanks to the data reprocessed by the algorithm, it is therefore possible to think about reducing the quantity.
Rimodulate purchases
Afresh, an American company, has instead focused its attention on supermarkets, which are also responsible for food waste. He based his investigation on purchases of the Albertson’s chain over the last six years.
It used the algorithm to analyze the data that emerged and to rimodulate what was acquired. An example? He suggested buying a certain type of vegetable over another, effectively preventing many products from going bad.
It is estimated that in general, using similar platforms, supermarkets can reduce the amount of unsold food by 25%. Numbers that demonstrate how artificial intelligence can influence reducing the amount of waste, with consequent economic and environmental benefits.
Read also: The world’s best zero waste influencers to follow
