By 2030, the players in the catering industry have a goal of halving food waste, and Norwegian canteens will have to do their share of the job. If you do not use prediction in canteen operations, it becomes difficult to operate sustainably, says Nikolai Halle, Nordic Sales Manager at Izy.
Time passes quickly. If we are to achieve the goal of halving food waste and reducing CO2 emissions, everyone must contribute and use tools that actually work. With prediction and using AI, you can say with up to 90 percent certainty how many visitors come to your canteen 30 days in advance and plan purchases accordingly. It will also be easier to hit on staffing, says Nikolai Halle from Izy. Reducing food waste can bring several benefits, including for farm owners and investors.
— You can achieve more favorable financing of real estate. The reason is that measures that reduce food waste can be classified as sustainable according to the EU taxonomy, explains Halle. The taxonomy classifies economic activities that the EU considers sustainable and contribute to green transition in Europe.
“Measures, investments and reporting on food waste contribute to achieving green financing and strengthening market position within the EU,” he says.
Food waste is directly linked to the UN's 12th Sustainable Development Goal which deals with responsible consumption and production, and specifically to sub-goal 12.3 which deals with halving food waste. So if you have ambitions to run sustainably, prediction is a no-brainer, emphasizes Halle.
While Norway lags behind in reducing food waste, both Sweden and Denmark have a very different awareness of the problem and have succeeded in curbing the CO₂ footprint caused by food waste. In fact, in Norway we emit twice as much CO₂ per capita compared to Sweden.
In 2022, we threw away about 450,000 tons of edible food, according to Matvett. A significant proportion comes from Norwegian kitchens and canteens. Twenty percent of the food is thrown away, according to figures from Nordic Council of Ministers.
“When, on average, food is prepared for 200 people in over 4000 Norwegian canteens daily, the amount of waste becomes enormous. With prediction, canteens are able to reduce food waste sustainably and help reduce their carbon footprint sharply,” says Halle.
“Prediction may seem like a technical and complex process, but in simple terms it is about using data from previous periods to make good assumptions about the future,” explains Ole Aabel, CVO at Izy AS and one of the people behind the Norwegian tech company Izy. They have developed The Izy App which has been used in a number of commercial buildings and is used, among other things, for payment in canteens, kiosks, booking meeting rooms and meeting meals. Transaction data from the app is collected and used as a prediction basis.
“With prediction, the canteen has the ability to plan the number of servings more precisely, which helps reduce surplus production and food waste. We have made it easy for our customers to use the data to improve their canteen operations without requiring an advanced technical background,” he explains.
“By using advanced prediction models and a unique CO₂ dashboard, we provide our Facility Management (FM) customers with a tool that not only predicts visitor numbers, but also shows how they can significantly reduce their carbon footprint,” explains Ole Aabel.
For Izy does not stop at the prediction of visitor numbers in canteens. A new and unique CO₂ dashboard has been developed to calculate the carbon footprint of the canteen. The calculation is based on several factors, including energy use, menu choices, food waste and resource use.
“The dashboard is a management tool that enables the canteen to work actively to help achieve the UN's emissions targets and thus control its environmental footprint. In an industry where such tools are not standard, our CO₂ dashboard will give FM customers the ability to integrate sustainability into daily operations in a way that has not previously been possible,” explains Aabel. The CO₂ dashboard shows what can be done by grips for more sustainable operations. For example,
“We want to use AI, and the opportunities it gives us, to develop smart and sustainable solutions that contribute to a better world. AI is being used for a lot of strange things today, and one can suspect that some people are invoking AI technology even though it's really just a slightly advanced Google search it's all about, says Nikolai Halle.
“Together with our customers in the field of operation of canteens, we will make a real difference. For us, it's about making canteen operations sustainable, efficient and climate-friendly. And you can start today! In 1-2 weeks, you can bring in enough data to get started with prediction in the operation of your canteen, he emphasizes.
... about 450,000 tonnes of edible food were thrown away in Norway in 2022, including from canteens.
... 20 percent of food prepared in canteens and large kitchens ends up as waste?
... Norway has committed to halving food waste by 2030?
... food waste is an important area for businesses looking to adapt to the EU taxonomy and achieve green financing or better market position within the EU?
... food waste is directly linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, which deals with Responsible Consumption and Production. To be more specific, food waste falls under sub-goal 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita food waste worldwide in retail and consumer sectors and reduce food waste throughout the value chain, including post-harvest.
