The United States has a big problem with food waste. One-third of the food that is made ends up in dumps. This huge amount of waste is caused by many things, including too much production, packaging, storage, and shipping.
According to a report that was just released, more than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste. Food delivery services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh have helped fight this by providing services where items are precisely measured and there isn’t a lot of packaging.
A new company in New York called Hungryroot is going one step further by using AI to give each customer a more personalized experience. This means that customers are asked what kinds of food they like if they have any illnesses, what kinds of food they don’t like, and what time they usually cook. All of this data is then used by AI to figure out which recipes and food things are best for each person.
CEO of the company Ben McKean said, “Hungryroot is completely designed to give you just the foods that you’re going to need for the week.” It also comes with easy-to-follow recipes that tell you exactly what to do with the ingredients. As a result, our customers lose a lot less food.
It also lets them suggest certain things based on what they have more of. This way, they can help customers avoid wasting food by suggesting those items. By putting these methods in place, the company has been able to cut down on food waste by 80%.
Lightspeed Venture Partners and other investors have seen this business plan as a good one. “They have been profitable for three or four years now, which is unusual for a lot of these e-commerce food businesses,” said Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed.
