A UK technology startup Winnow has developed an AI program that can help restaurants and hotel chains minimize food wastage. This AI bin uses a smart camera and pre-defined scales to identify the types of frequently thrown food items to help establishments reduce costs.
Marc Zornes, chief executive of Winnow said that food wastage is a global issue and it is something that kitchens are struggling hard to solve. In addition to this, he also said that without the visibility of knowing what is being wasted, kitchens are wasting more food than they think.
Using Machine Learning, the smart AI bin learns to recognise different foods with the help of the kitchen staff in the early stages. Once it works its way through all the permutations in the restaurant menu, it starts actively recognising and categorising.
Already installed in 23 IKEA stores in the UK as well as several hotels and restaurants, the AI bin technology is a revolution in food waste management and has garnered great reviews for its work. The company is planning to roll out more installments in various parts of the country. According to the Winnow estimations AI bin has saved around $30 of food and 39,000 tonnes of CO2 so far.
The main objective of the Winnow is to make chefs understand the real cost of food and how harmful its wanton wastage can be for business as well as to nature. By reducing food wastage, they can actually increase profitability of their business while building a sustainable platform to expand on.