Computer vision quality control for fresh food

An AI-powered platform uses a smartphone to measure the quality of fruits and vegetables

Spotted: According to the Food Waste Index Report 2024, co-authored by The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and WRAP, the world wastes over one billion meals a day. Such waste is untenable environmentally and socially, as hundreds of millions of people remain affected by hunger and climate change continues to put pressure on the world’s arable land.

Using an automated quality control and data analytics platform, Clarifruit is helping to reduce that waste. The company’s ‘quality-control-as-a-service’ platform provides rapid, consistent analyses of fresh produce for growers, wholesalers, and retailers. The cloud-based platform eliminates the uncertainty and variability of manual inspections and provides objective measurements of fresh produce.

The app is free to download and, with a smartphone camera, gauges the quality of fruits and vegetables by examining the size, colour, and firmness, along with any visible defects. The data-based analyses help wholesalers and retailers more consistently manage orders and track the volume of rejects, making it easier for growers and wholesalers to decide when to drop prices as well as harvest.

Clarifruit found that using its solutions can increase sales by up to 2 per cent, reduce waste by up to 20 per cent, and improve the productivity of labour by up to 40 per cent. Full quality control reports are automatically generated by the app, and with AI-powered standards, it makes it faster for wholesalers to inspect orders, and retailers to place and display produce. The dashboard allows inspectors at all stages to track volumes of produce over time, and the software integrates with a range of hardware options.

From AI-monitored food waste bins to edible silk food coverings, Springwise’s library contains a range of innovations working to reduce food waste.

Written By: Keely Khoury