Winnow: Revolutionizing Kitchen Sustainability with AI to Cut Food Waste and Emissions 

Professional kitchens could become artificial intelligence pioneers in slashing food waste.

Winnow, a pioneering B Corp, has developed cutting-edge AI tools that aim to maximize profitability while halving food waste in food outlets.

Food waste in the hospitality sector is seen as a key global sustainability challenge; according to the UNFCCC, food loss and waste accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gases. The initiative claims that its AI tool could have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the industry.

Winnow says its innovative solutions are saving industry giants like IKEA, Hilton, Marriott, Accor, Compass Group, and Carnival Cruise Corp from emitting 106,000 tons of CO2 equivalent annually. Winnow is now installed in every IKEA store worldwide, which has helped the retailer to cut food waste by 54% and save over $37 million. This reduction compares to powering homes in a small town for an entire year.

The initiative’s ambitious goal of preventing $1 billion worth of food waste annually is based on its strategy to harness the transformative power of data. Unlike traditional, lower tech methodologies, Winnow uses AI technology to convert any commercial kitchen into one that prevents waste by capturing detailed food waste data at source. More than a reporting tool, it serves as an embedded behavior change engine, offering an intelligent, data-driven pathway to greener and more profitable operations.

VisionAI with Throw & Go is a no-touch system that sees, weighs, and learns what’s being wasted using just a tablet, a camera, and a scale. Winnow claims that without disrupting kitchen routines, chefs can dispose of food as usual while the system efficiently analyzes what is being discarded, triggering instant behavior adjustments.

The initiative is designed to be part of the default kitchen tech stack, especially in hotels, resorts, universities, and contract catering, sectors that serve billions of meals annually. Winnow says its technology is currently gathering data in over 3,000 kitchens across more than 90 countries. These kitchens have already proven to halve food waste and cut food costs by 2-8% compared with the baseline that is recorded when a kitchen first installs Winnow’s system.

The initiative works with academics at WRAP, the World Resources Institute, and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to align its metrics and approach with best practices in food waste and climate science, and aims to become a leading light in kitchen efficiency and sustainability.

Learn more about Winnow.

Written by Gilly Smith
Photos provided by Winnow