Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Combat Food Waste: In the REIF research project – standing for Resource-efficient, Economic, and Intelligent Foodchain – the potentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are being explored to enhance the planning and control capabilities within the food industry value chain. The primary goal of this research initiative is the establishment of an AI ecosystem that integrates stakeholders across all levels of the value chain, enabling a comprehensive and sustainable reduction of food waste through the utilization of Artificial Intelligence.
- Project Name: REIF
- Duration: April 2019 – April 2023
- Consortium partner:
- Associated partner:
- Funded by: German Federal Ministry for the Economy and Climate Protection
- Project website: REIF
The overarching objective is to identify potentials and conceptualize innovative approaches based on AI for adaptive value networks. In the REIF approach, a value network for the food industry will be conceptualized and utilized as an AI ecosystem. This combined approach yields numerous synergies, benefitting the field of AI research, the food industry, and society as a whole.
Due to stringent regulatory requirements, the food industry generates an above-average amount of data, forming the ‘nourishment’ for any AI approach. Simultaneously, the value chain development in the food sector has reached a temporary saturation, which can only be overcome through disruptive approaches, such as the use of Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, the active utilization of AI methodologies by involved partners during the implementation phase stands at the core of this project. Analogous to machine learning, continuous insights are generated and multiplied through this application, with these knowledge bases being used to optimize processes.
Planning and preparing a structure and network for this approach should be a crucial part of the competitive phase.
In Germany, millions of tons of food are wasted each year, rendered unsuitable for consumption due to various reasons. Studies indicate that a significant portion, approximately 60% or 11 million tons, of this food waste occurs during the manufacturing process within the value chain.
The intricacy of the food industry – the stringent product safety requirements, the unpredictability inherent in agriculture, countless product-specific contingencies in food processing, substantial demand fluctuations, and the trend towards personalized products, even in the food sector – have all served as barriers to mitigating these apparent deficits. This complex network of factors has historically hindered efforts to reduce the significant amount of waste produced annually.