Hotels Are Adopting an AI Tool That Scans Discarded Items To Minimize Food Waste

Hotels and offices are leveraging AI-powered cameras above their kitchen trash cans to reduce food waste.

Winnow, a British company, has developed hardware that includes a scale positioned under kitchen trash cans and a screen equipped with a motion-sensor camera to reduce food waste and cut costs.

This innovation uses AI technology to scan discarded items like vegetable peelings, uneaten mashed potatoes, and leftover guacamole, accurately identifying each item to enable chefs and restaurant managers to access real-time data on the quantity of each item discarded, offering precise insights into food waste.

Co-founder of Winnow, Marc Zornes, said that their system simplifies the process of collecting precise data on kitchen waste. He highlighted that many companies struggle with obtaining accurate recordings, which he identified as the “biggest problem” in addressing food waste.

Winnow serves a diverse clientele including hotels, cruise lines, universities, and professional catering services, helping them track and reduce food waste to enhance eco credentials and lower expenses.

Zornes emphasized the importance of streamlining the process because kitchens are bustling environments.

This data collated by Winnow is then used to provide chefs with guidance on purchasing appropriate quantities of ingredients and optimizing preparation methods to reduce throw out.

Zornes also noted that Winnow’s ability to identify specific foods can differ from one site to another. “If it knows what it is outright, it identifies the product,” he explained. “If it doesn’t know what it is and it thinks it’s a couple of options, it can present that to the user, and they can help the system get better over time.”

In 2022, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) reported that globally, consumers wasted 19% of available food, amounting to a total of over 1.1 billion tons. Within the food service sector, nearly 30% of this waste occurred. According to the UNEP, the collective losses from food waste and supply chain inefficiencies contribute nearly five times the greenhouse gas emissions of the aviation sector.

Hilton EMEA’s senior director of culinary, Sebastian Nohse, mentioned that in the Middle East, Hilton has integrated Winnow to analyze the most wasted items from its breakfast buffets.

He said that breakfast buffets make up “a really big chunk of waste that we in the hotel industry in general didn’t really have clear insights about.” He explained that Hilton utilized Winnow’s data to trial smaller portions of fruit, smoked salmon, and croissants at its breakfast buffets.

Nohse said, “If we can remove choice, that will drive impact. If we can make the choice for the guests by providing a smaller croissant or a smaller doughnut or cutting the fruit in a different way, we can create positive impact without letting the guests make the choice but by creating impact by default.”

Paul Fairhead, CEO of Guckenheimer, the commercial catering arm of ISS, highlights that oversized portions aren’t solely responsible for leftover food. By using Winnow, chefs can identify dishes that aren’t popular with diners. This allows them to evaluate factors such as flavor profiles or review Winnow’s images to determine if presentation issues, like overcooking, may have put off diners from finishing their food.