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Problem
The cultivation of food requires significant amounts of land and other resources such as water and fertilisers and other inputs. When food is wasted, the land and other resources used to grow the food are also wasted, contributing to unnecessary land-use change and emissions and increased resistance to antibiotics. Efforts aimed at managing produce and other perishable products are often riddled with inefficiencies, and the limited transparency of stores’ waste performance hampers effective decision-making.
Solution
Invafresh introduces an “end-to-end” system for handling products approaching their expiry dates. A date-checking feature simplifies the identification of soon-to-expire items. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system also offers tailored recommendations based on the historical performance of each product, allowing for a dynamic approach to preventing waste with four potential outcomes: 1) stock reduction; 2) freezing for in-store meals; 3) donation to a partner organisation that can distribute the food to those in need or 4) waste.
“Food is valuable asset and a lot of this value is either lost because of a limited overview of loses or because of a failure of imagination. For example, much of the food lost today could be saved by freezing it.”
Riku Sinervo and Tim Forslund, Sitra
Biodiversity impacts
Invafresh’s solution reduces negative effects from agricultural overproduction, relieving pressure on natural habitats. Less waste would allow for less agricultural land to be used, helping to prevent habitat loss from expanding agricultural activities and to reduce emissions and eutrophication.
Benefits for the company
Invafresh’s advanced date-checking and artificial intelligence-based recommendations enable better inventory control and reduce losses associated with expired products. This system can also improve profit margins through innovative solutions such as in-store meal production and food repurposing. Data on both waste streams and how efficiently the food can be redistributed let retailers make informed decisions and improve overall shop performance.
