Use of Robots and Artificial Intelligence in Greenhouse Horticulture

Robotics and AI are not panaceas for solving labor shortages or other product-related problems. But in the next decade, robots and crop support software will take over certain tasks in the high-tech greenhouse.

Report summary
Growers will not produce more cheaply because of robotization and digitalization, but mostly differently. Managing larger, more international companies will become easier, management skills will change, and the cooperation with suppliers and customers will become closer. Pests can also be dealt with earlier, more sustainably or more precisely. The quality of the...

Chipotle Pilots Advanced Tehnology to Enhance the Employee and Guest Experience

Chipotle Mexican Grill today announced it is piloting advanced technologies to enhance its employee and guest experience by streamlining operations and reducing friction. The company recently began piloting two new technologies in its restaurants to deliver precise forecasting, optimal quality, and increased convenience for digital guests.

Kitchen Management System
In select Southern California restaurants, Chipotle is piloting a cook to needs kitchen management system that provides demand-based cooking and ingredient preparation forecasts to optimize throughput and freshness while minimizing food waste. Leveraging AI and machine learning, the system...

C&S Wholesale Grocers Partners with TCS to Build AI-Powered Distribution Model

Tata Consultancy Services has been chosen by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (C&S), an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the United States, to build a new operations platform on Google Cloud to reduce the company's carbon footprint and enhance the customer experience.

C&S has partnered with TCS to reimagine its operations platforms, including customer experience and grocery distribution. TCS will lead the company-wide project and help C&S establish a new cloud-based architecture that will unify its...

Instacart Makes it Easier for Customers to Save On Groceries with Acquisition of Eversight

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced it has acquired Eversight, an AI-powered pricing and promotions platform for CPG brands and retailers. Since its founding in 2013, Eversight has brought CPG brands and retailers technologies tailor-made for the grocery industry, enabling brands and retailers to unlock optimal promotions and pricing that propel their business and create more compelling savings opportunities for customers.

Through Eversight's AI-powered, experimentation-based platform, CPG brands and retailers can continuously test customized pricing and promotions...

Panera Tests New AI Technology for Drive-Thru Lanes

Beginning today, Panera Bread begins testing AI technology in drive-thru lanes with an aim to improve and enhance the guest experience. With support from OpenCity, select Panera bakery-cafes in the greater Rochester, NY area have implemented OpenCity’s proprietary voice AI ordering technology, called “Tori”, for drive-thru orders, with the goal of maximizing efficiency and increasing speed of orders. Guests at Panera Bread cafes in Greece, NY (800 Greece Ridge Center Dr) and Webster, NY (935 Holt Rd) are the first Panera locations to experience this drive-thru innovation...

Walmart and Symbotic Expand Partnership to Implement Industry-Leading Automation System

Symbotic LLC, a revolutionary A.I.-powered supply chain technology company, and Walmart Inc. announced an expanded commercial agreement to implement Symbotic’s robotics and software automation platform in all 42 of Walmart’s regional distribution centers over the coming years. This is an expansion of Walmart’s prior commitment to deploy Symbotic Systems in 25 regional distribution centers.

The end-to-end software-enabled high-density robotics platform plays a strategic role in supporting the retailer’s goal of modernizing its vast supply chain network and allows Walmart to transform its regional distribution...

Poultry Quarterly Q2 2022: Strong Market Conditions Continue, Despite Impact of War in Ukraine

Global poultry demand and trade will remain strong this year. The industry, however, will face challenges related to historic high cost inflation and logistic disruptions, which will especially impact low income countries.

Report summary
In most regions, supply is relatively tight and prices are strong. The war in Ukraine has led to an increase of 20% to 40% in global grain prices, and the poultry industry will be challenged to pass on all of these higher costs to consumers. This will likely be possible in developed...

Marco's Pizza® Tests Automated Voice-to-Text Ordering Using Conversational AI

Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, announced a 50-store pilot of its proprietary voice-to-text ordering system with the goal of a systemwide rollout by the end of 2022. The speech-enabled application uses conversational artificial intelligence (AI) which yielded 100% order accuracy in initial beta testing as well as increased employee and customer satisfaction.

The initial voice-to-order beta test started in Summer 2021 before moving into the pilot. Designed to provide a seamless interaction with customers, the system... 

Instacart Unveils Shoppable Recipes, New Product Integrations with TikTok, Hearst Magazines, & More

Instacart, the leading online grocery platform in North America, today announced Shoppable Recipes, new product integrations that will allow food creators to make their recipes shoppable on Instacart via strategic integrations on TikTok and Tasty, as well on Hearst Magazines' properties like Delish, Good Housekeeping, and more. Shoppable Recipes leverages Instacart's immense grocery catalog -- one of the largest in the world -- with real-time AI-driven modeling to find in-stock items and available Shoppers to get them delivered quickly, empowering people to turn the food...

Chipotle Tests AI Kitchen Assistant, Chippy

Chipotle Mexican Grill today announced its latest digital innovation, Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips. Chipotle's culinary and technology teams called on Miso Robotics to customize its latest robotic solution to cook and freshly season Chipotle's delicious tortilla chips.

"We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience. Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle's crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant," said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, Chipotle...

Kraft Heinz and TheNotCompany Create Partnership to Accelerate AI-Driven Plant-Based Innovation

The Kraft Heinz Company and leading food tech start-up TheNotCompany, Inc. announced today a joint venture designed to reimagine global food production and advance toward a more sustainable future.

The joint venture, which will operate under the control of Kraft Heinz as The Kraft Heinz Not Company LLC (“The Kraft Heinz Not Company”), will leverage the inherent strengths of both companies. NotCo brings its patented, first-of-its-kind technology and proven artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, while Kraft Heinz offers its iconic brand portfolio and scale...

Albertsons Companies Selects Afresh Technologies AI Platform

Albertsons Companies will enhance its fresh offering with Afresh Technologies' AI-powered predictive ordering and inventory solutions to reduce waste and offer the freshest product for customers. Afresh will help Albertsons Cos.' optimize fresh forecasting, inventory, ordering, merchandising and operations.

Afresh Technologies enables Albertsons Cos. to deploy a state-of-the-art AI technology platform in all its stores to further differentiate its fresh offering to customers while helping to reduce food waste, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and saving water.

"By partnering with Afresh, we are now able to improve our..."

Cargill Expands Portfolio of AI Powered Innovations to Give Poultry Producers Actionable Insights

Poultry producers are always looking for ways to improve the efficiency and health of their flocks. Advancements in technology, like artificial intelligence, can help accelerate these improvements, identify previously unknown problems and anticipate outcomes. Cargill is assembling a portfolio of AI-driven innovations through proprietary development and strategic partnerships to go beyond nutrition and help customers optimize their operations with actionable insights.

Galleon Microbiome Analysis – a comprehensive broiler microbiome health assessment tool

There is an interdependency between the condition of the gut microbiome and the flock’s health...

Checkers & Rally’s and Presto Announce Largest Ever Rollout of Drive-Thru A.I. Voice Assistant

Presto, a leader in the restaurant hospitality technology industry, has been selected by Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., the operator of Checkers & Rally’s iconic drive-thrus, as the exclusive provider of automated voice ordering for all its corporate-owned drive-thru restaurants. Today’s announcement marks the largest and first of its kind rollout of an A.I.-based voice assistant solution in the hospitality industry.

Designed to help restaurants maximize labor efficiency, Presto’s next generation solutions help improve order accuracy, increase upsells, and provide a superior guest...