[SUMMIT RECAP] Fixing Food System Inefficiencies with AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fixing the hidden inefficiencies that cause food waste across the supply chain. During the 2026 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit session, The Big Picture: Megatrends Shaping the Future of Food Waste, industry innovators shared how this data-driven technology improves operations in the logistically complex areas of refrigerated food delivery and hospitality.

• Adam Wittwer, President, Thermo King Americas, shared how AI is closing data gaps in cold chain logistics.

• Gurbir Perhar, Senior Vice President of Compass Data & AI at Compass Group, demonstrated how the world's largest contract food service company uses predictive models to eliminate overproduction in commercial kitchens.

Together, their presentations showed how AI can help the food industry anticipate problems instead of just reacting to them.

AI Improves Cold Chain Efficiency: Key Takeaways from Adam Wittwer

In transit logistics, food loss is often handled reactively. If a trailer's refrigeration unit malfunctions, a driver might notice a dashboard warning light but lack the technical expertise to diagnose or fix the problem. That leads to emergency stops, delayed deliveries, and reduced shelf life of the cargo.

Thermo King’s AI model allows refrigeration units to essentially manage themselves. As Wittwer explained:

"The key is making sure that we have [cloud] data that we can aggregate very quickly and make decisions that communicate directly with the unit that remove the driver from the equation, which can really lead to a tremendous amount of waste."

Smart Climate Management

Standard refrigeration treats every load the same way, operating like a basic home appliance. AI can turn trailers into smart environments that dynamically protect food quality during delivery:

"[With AI], we can start to optimize the temperature profile, the airflow in the back of a trailer, in a cold storage warehouse, based on the goods on the pallet. When we do that, we inhibit ripening in the trailer in a way that extends food and shelf life."

The "Stacking Effect" on Food Waste

According to Wittwer, AI solutions are most powerful when they build on top of one another.

"As we're working toward this smarter, more resilient food system, these solutions compound. Think of them as [a] stacking effect... one gap filled improves efficiency, increases shelf [life, and reduces] food waste."

When scaled globally, fixing these interconnected cold chain inefficiencies protects shipments and ultimately addresses a massive food waste crisis.

Smart Planning in Commercial Kitchens: Key Takeaways from Gurbir Perhar

Commercial kitchens in the hospitality sector overproduce food to ensure guests always have immediate, fresh options available.

Using AI, Compass Group is shifting kitchen operations away from measuring waste at the end of the day to predicting how much food is really required to produce.

Demand Forecasting and Menu Engineering

Compass Group processes massive datasets across its 30,000 to 40,000 North American locations. Their AI models analyze complex external variables, including weather patterns, local event schedules, and seasonality. The system translates these variables into accurate demand forecasts down to specific stock-keeping units (SKUs).

"Forecasting could be something as straightforward as how much foot traffic do we anticipate at a given site tomorrow compared to today... You can then take it a step lower and say, okay, now we know how much foot traffic to expect. Let's look at every SKU or menu item. How many chicken sandwiches do we think will sell tomorrow?"

These insights automate the planning phase by pre-populating daily procurement, production, and order sheets. If bad weather is forecasted, the system automatically adjusts orders, preventing surplus before ingredients ever hit the prep table.

Closing the Loop with Computer Vision

When surplus cannot be prevented, Compass Group uses an organic waste system through a partnership with Mill. These automated appliances use computer vision and AI to scan and analyze the exact composition of food scraps as they are dehydrated. This creates an immediate feedback loop for culinary teams.

"It can now start giving us intelligence into what exactly went into the bin before it was dehydrated and ground up. So going back to our forecasting and menu engineering, this becomes another feedback mechanism that says, you know what, from a protein standpoint, there is a lot of chicken that went to waste this week, and that can now be an input for [planning]."

Conclusion: AI as an Efficiency Maximizer

The parallel implementations at Thermo King and Compass Group demonstrate that AI can maximize efficiency across the food supply chain. Both companies succeed by turning messy data into clear guidance for the people on the front lines, whether that is a truck driver on the highway or a chef in a busy kitchen.

AI is taking the guesswork out of daily operations. Small adjustments on the road and in the kitchen add up quickly, turning a big goal like reducing food waste into a real, measurable business outcome.

Learn More

Watch the full session, “The Big Picture: Megatrends Shaping the Future of Food Waste.”