In short
In collaboration with the City of Ghent, Artevelde University of Applied Sciences explores how AI-driven food waste monitors can help reduce food waste in Ghent’s hospitality sector. Five smart scales, equipped with a camera and dashboard, are being used in restaurants and large-scale kitchens.
Need and relevance
Did you know that one third of all produced food ends up in the bin? This food waste negatively affects the environment and increases economic costs. Around 9% of total food waste in the European Union is estimated to occur in restaurants and hospitality businesses.
This project addresses the need for technological support to make food waste visible and manageable.
From approach to impact
Over a three-year period, six AI-powered food waste monitors — Orbisk’s Orbis — will be deployed in hospitality businesses across Ghent. These smart scales automatically register what type of food is discarded, and at which stage of the process. The data is visualised in a personalised dashboard.
The research maps out:
- where in the process the most food waste occurs;
- where the greatest impact can be achieved;
- and what barriers and motivators exist for food professionals to engage with the monitors.
The insights aim to help hospitality entrepreneurs better align portion sizes and purchasing volumes with actual needs. In time, the model could be scaled to other cities and sectors. The project contributes to knowledge development around technology-driven solutions to reduce food waste.
New follow-up project: Smart weighing in healthcare
Following the successful use of AI-powered food waste monitors in Ghent’s hospitality sector, Artevelde University of Applied Sciences now extends its research to residential care centres. Curious how technology can also reduce food waste in healthcare? Discover the follow-up project Smart weighing in healthcare and learn how seven care centres are using data to drive change.
