Gaming operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment announced today (Wednesday) that it has led a trial with an Artificial Intelligence-powered product to tackle food waste across its properties.
The operator indicated it has started using Winnow Vision, an AI system that uses computer vision to help chefs easily pinpoint waste, cut costs and save time. The system takes photos of wasted food as it’s thrown away and, using the images, the machine trains itself to recognise what has been thrown in the bin.
Chefs in these properties can then adjust their food purchasing decisions accordingly, reducing spending and tackling a fundamental problem of overproduction.
Melco stated that an initial six-month trial of the system at City of Dreams allowed for a 67 per cent reduction of food waste in the employee dining area and helped save 3,915 kilogrammes of food waste.
‘The A.I. 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,’ Melco’s Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Denise Chen, indicated in the announcement.
The operator added that it will roll out the program to customer-facing dining areas, as well as its operations in City of Dreams Manila in the Philippines.
Founded in 2013 and based in the UK, Winnow develops AI tools to help chefs reduce food waste by providing a method to identify and measure waste in commercial kitchens.
