Ikea tackles food waste problem with Winnow AI technology

Ingka Group says that it has reduced food waste by 54% in its Ikea stores.

That translates into more than 20 million saved meals and 36,000 tonnes of CO2e that have been avoided.

This results from more than 20,000 Ikea food co-workers who were trained to use Winnow’s AI technology in their daily routines. 

We are honoured to announce that we have raised a combined $20m in investment to continue fighting global #foodwaste. A $12m Series B round was led by @IngkaGroup and @MSeedImpact, followed by an earlier $8m loan from @EIB #TheFutureKitchenhttps://t.co/ZEd1f12EX1

— Winnow Solutions (@WinnowSolutions) October 17, 2019

Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ingka Group, says: “I truly believe food is too precious to be wasted and that everyone has a role to play to prevent and reduce food waste, whether it is at home in our own kitchens or in our business.”

“We know that many people around the world suffer from hunger, whilst at the same time a third of all food harvested and produced is wasted.”

“It is clear that we need to take decisive action to play our part to change this. The impact we can all have on preventing and reducing food waste is beneficial for both people and the planet.”

“Although this achievement represents a relatively small proportion of our overall climate footprint, it is nevertheless an important step that we are proud of, and our food co-workers have been instrumental in this.”

“Throughout the process we learned from our mistakes, made use of valuable tools and implemented a range of solutions to bring the amount of food waste down.”

Ingka Group prepares and serves food to more than 560 million people annually.

The Winnow Vision AI tool measures and registers food waste in Ikea restaurants, bistros, and Swedish Food Markets around the world.

The data collected provides food co-workers with a deeper understanding of what is being discarded and why, helping them to prevent and reduce food waste in the kitchen.  

“Together with our co-workers, partners and our customers we are determined to play our part, and as a global food player serving more than 560 million people every year, we want to show what´s possible and I really hope that by sharing our learnings we can inspire and encourage others to join us on this journey,” says Lorena Lourido Gomez, Global Food Manager, Ingka Group.

“This milestone has been met nine years ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goal and shows the importance of setting bold targets, learning, and developing our approach along the way.”

“We are committed to maintaining these results while also going further to reduce consumer waste and put unavoidable food waste to good use.”