While the majority of us are trying to reduce our food waste at home in our kitchens by meal-planning or finding creative ways to use vegetables near the expiry date, Europe’s biggest grocery stores are also working on reducing their food waste – just on a much larger scale. Shockingly, grocery retailers typically throw away 15% of their fresh produce. In 2021, two Berlin-based AI researchers founded Freshflow: software powered by novel artificial intelligence helping retailers maintain a just-in-time supply chain for fresh food. It tells retailers how much of each type of produce they need to ensure that as little as possible is wasted. The algorithm takes into account a huge range of factors such as weather, holidays, seasonality, and shelf-life, making predictions far more accurate than any human could give. And just as it saves us money to make stock out of our veggie peelings, it saves food businesses money too – albeit on a slightly different scale. Food waste costs the industry an enormous $1.2 trillion a year in losses, but when using Freshflow, some retailers have seen a reduction of food waste by 25% while increasing their revenue. And, for the customers these savings mean more fresh food, often at lower prices. It’s a win-win-win situation for food retailers, customers, and the planet.
What They Say: “Freshflow’s mission is to assist food retailers in reducing shrinkage and improving their margins through AI-powered automated ordering. However, our vision extends beyond that. Freshflow aims to significantly reduce food waste by building an intelligent food supply chain.”
Founder/s: Carime Paolino & Avik Mukhija
Based In: Berlin, Germany
Website: www.freshflow.ai