AI increasingly has a role to play in all areas of our society. It has begun to revolutionize food systems and has a growing role in food waste management. From farm to fork, and beyond, AI can help increase efficiencies and make food waste a thing of the past.
No matter how you feel about the growing role of AI in general, in the context of food waste management, it is clear to see how new technologies in this arena can help us to eliminate food waste as we work towards global sustainability goals.
The Problem of Food Waste
Food waste is a massive issue in today’s world. While many still go hungry around the world, mountains of food still end up being wasted annually and huge quantities of food end up in landfill, contributing to global warming.
To meet global and local sustainability goals and to create a fairer, more equitable world, it is essential that we use all the tools at our disposal to tackle this mammoth issue.
Tackling Food Waste
To tackle food waste we need to look holistically at the problem. We need to recognise where waste occurs throughout the different stages – from farm production, through supply chains and businesses, to the end consumer.
We need to work on creating a more cooperative culture, with more sharing and better redistribution. And we need to work on ways to make sure no food is wasted by diverting food waste into channels that provide benefits and give us something new.
Food Waste on Farms
In order to explore the growing role of AI in food waste management we should first look at the role that these new technologies are playing in agriculture 4.0. Smart farming is revolutionizing certain aspects of food production and can potentially play a big role in preventing food waste.
The Role of AI in Preventing Food Waste in Agriculture
AI helps farmers to predict crop yields and avoid potential issues with their crops by monitoring soil health, weather patterns and plant health. It can carefully calibrate organic inputs as they find sustainable solutions for their farms.
It can help to prevent waste due to crop losses and also prevent other sorts of waste such as water waste and energy waste too. The use of these sorts of technologies can also help farmers make sure they grow enough, but not too much, of the right things at the right times.
Food Waste Management for Supply Chains & Businesses
From farms, getting food onto people’s plates can also unfortunately be a wasteful process. As food makes its way through at times complex supply chains and into restaurants and stores, a lot of food can be wasted.
Again, AI can help with food waste management throughout supply chains, and help businesses such as restaurants or grocery stores make sure they prevent spoilage and put useful automated processes in place.
Supply Chain Analytics for Food Waste Management
AI-powered supply chain analytics can potentially help retailers and distributors forecast demand more accurately, and ensure that food makes it to where it is needed in a timely manner, and that supply meets but does not excessively exceed demand.
Managing Food Waste with Smart Inventory Management
Food manufacturers, grocers and restaurateurs can also use AI to manage inventory systems that track perishable goods and expiration dates.
Such systems can let people know when food is about to be wasted so they can act swiftly to avert the issue – be creating some discounts or by donating excess food, for example.
AI Driven Consumer Behavioral Change
Food waste in households is also a major issue. Fortunately, this is something we all have the power to do more about. We can all change our own habits to reduce the amount of food we waste, and again, AI can help. Such technology can help us to make the necessary behavioral changes to move closer to a zero waste way of life.
Food Waste Management With Apps and Appliances
There is a range of AI-powered apps that we can use to help us make the right food choices, and make sure that we find the right recipes to use up the food we already have before we buy more.
Smart home appliances, like smart refrigerators, for example, with AI integration, can also help by keeping up to date inventories and giving reminders when food is about to expire so we can prevent it from going to waste.
Technological advances like these can help to promote sustainability within the home, and help us to tackle food waste by improving our habits when it comes to shopping, preparing and preserving food.
Promoting a Co-operative Culture & Circular Systems
Truly tackling food waste globally and locally means that we need to develop co-operative and circular systems. We need to redistribute food and find ways to turn waste into a useful resource in order to make food waste a thing of the past.
AI For Food Redistribution
One of the most exciting ways in which AI contributes to food waste management is through connecting those with surplus food that might go to waste with those who need that food.
Platforms that are powered by AI match food donors with charities and food banks, ensuring that no food is wasted and that all excess gets to where it is really required.
AI Driven Waste-to-Resource Solutions
Where food can no longer be redistributed for eating, AI systems still show that there is potential to change food waste into a valuable resource.
There are times when AI helps with waste to energy solutions, turning food waste into biofuels or electricity.
For a circular system, however, the best and most obvious solution is to aerobically decompose food waste to create a valuable resource – a good quality compost – that can then be used to grow more food.
Whether food waste is managed with an on-site composting system, or sent for composting elsewhere, this is the ultimate in circularity. AI enables connections and networks that enable more composting to take place.
