Where some saw waste, Marc Zornes and Kevin Duffy saw opportunity.
In 2013, the pair co-founded Winnow Commercial Food Waste Solutions, a company aimed at helping restaurants better understand and significantly reduce the amount of food they were wasting.
While artificial intelligence has garnered headlines for the energy-hungry and water-thirsty data centers required to power it, Winnow has found a way to use the technology to help the environment and companies' bottom lines by significantly reducing food waste at restaurants, Business Insider reported.
Particularly for a world in which three-quarters of a billion people go hungry, humans waste an incredible amount of food.
"Food waste is a market failure that results in the throwing away of more than US$1 trillion worth of food every year," wrote the authors of a U.N. report on food waste. "It is also an environmental failure: food waste generates an estimated 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (including from both loss and waste), and it takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 per cent of the world's agricultural land."
Zornes and Duffy set out to change this by combining the insights provided by cutting-edge technology with centuries-old practices that involve using every possible part of a food source.
'Winnow provides an automated food waste management solution that utilizes AI technology to identify and record waste, offering real-time analytics to help kitchens optimize processes and reduce excess waste," according to the company's website. "This hands-off approach allows businesses to focus on sustainability while enhancing profitability."
One of the advantages of Winnow's system has been that it requires so little extra time and effort from already-in-the-weeds restaurant workers. Winnow uses weight scales and motion-sensor cameras that incorporate AI technology, allowing it to automatically identify over 1,000 different types of food, according to Business Insider.
In its first 10 years, Winnow returned demonstrable results that not only saved its clients millions of dollars but also significantly reduced food waste and energy consumption.
"We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far this past decade, together," Winnow said in a blog post celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2023. "We have prevented $174 million worth of food [from being wasted] and reduced carbon emissions by 217,000 tonnes [238,700 tons], equivalent to 27,349 homes' energy use in one year."
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Giving me money back 💰 "We've done this in over 60 countries around the world, in over 20 languages," the post continued.
Winnow clients have said the results speak for themselves.
"It's brought about a lot more awareness on our waste," Liam Finnegan, the executive head chef at Ashford Castle in Ireland, told Business Insider. Finnegan added that the information has inspired chefs to think outside of the box, creating food "out of what historically would have been deemed worthless."
Even without AI-powered systems or the skills of an executive chef, you can save money and help the environment by reducing food waste at home. Taking simple steps like doing more with your leftovers and keeping food fresh longer can really add up, saving you time and money while also helping the environment.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
