A global casino company is deploying AI to cut food waste costs with amazing results
Although many individuals and companies may not yet be convinced of the benefits artificial intelligence (AI) can bring, the proof can be found in testing. Melco Resorts and Entertainment, a global casino operator, decided to give the technology a try in the kitchen at one of its casino resorts and was stunned by the outcome. AI did such a good job at helping the company reduce food waste that it immediately decided to roll out the technology to its venues in Macau and Manila, and will likely push it out to the rest of its portfolio as quickly as possible.
Winnow Vision is an AI solution for commercial kitchen that uses cameras, smart scales and machine learning to analyze food waste. When Melco used it for a six-month trial at its City of Dreams Macau, the results showed that the technology was able to help the company save around 4,000kg in food waste – a 67% drop. Not only does this reduce kitchen expenses, but it also cuts down on the environmental impact, and the savings equates to around 17 tons of CO2 emissions.
The technology will be used at Melco’s self-operated buffet restaurants, with additional venues being added in the future. Senior VP and Chief Sustainability Officer Denise Chan of Melco states, “Melco is dedicated to tackling one of the industry’s biggest challenges, food waste, while inspiring others to follow suit. We are excited about continuing our collaboration with Winnow across our resorts to lead the charge against food waste in Macau. The AI system initiative allows us to maximize operational efficiency and data accuracy across both front- and heart of-house food outlets, with the ability to significantly reduce food waste as we work towards our goal of achieving zero waste and contributing to circular economic leadership in Asia by the year 2030.”