Central Food Group Integrates AI-Powered System to Minimize Food Waste in Stores
Central Food Group, Thailand’s largest supermarket chain, has announced the trial of an innovative AI-powered system to tackle the country’s food waste problem, Retail Asia reported.
The technology, called Food Waste Management System, was developed by Smartway, a company that has been supporting retailers in their fight against food waste for 12 years. Its artificial intelligence is able to identify when products are near their expiration dates. Using the “GPS Short Date” system, the program automatically applies discounts of 20%-40% to soon-to-expire products. Moreover, Smartway’s technology enhances ordering processes to minimise waste and proposes profitable recycling channels. The system aims to reduce food waste, improve store efficiency, and increase customer purchasing power.
According to the agreement between Central Food Group and Smartway, the Food Waste Management System will be implemented to five Tops stores in Bangkok and surrounding areas in the second quarter of 2024. Tops is the largest supermarket chain in Thailand, which operates 120 stores nationwide. The partnership is expected to set a new standard in food waste management in Thailand, which will benefit stores, employees, and customers at the same time.
Central Food Group has other goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in the next six years, promoting environmentally friendly products and packaging, and implementing effective waste management practices. Combating food waste is a top priority for the company, with a target to reduce food waste by 30%.
In Thailand, 64% of waste consists of food waste, with 254 kg of food waste annually per person. The waste not only represents a loss of resources but also contributes to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organic matter in landfills. Companies in Thailand have been actively addressing the food waste issue through various other strategies such as promoting the separation and proper disposal of food waste and encouraging consumer behaviour changes to reduce it.
Smartway’s Food Waste Management System has already been adopted by over 2,000 stores worldwide and prevented the disposal of about 250m products.
