Amazon and Mill Industries Inc. are partnering to bring food waste conversion technology to Whole Foods Market stores, marking the grocery industry’s first on-site solution of its kind.
Starting in 2027, fruit and vegetable scraps from back-of-house operations will be processed by Mill Commercial, the company’s automated, high-capacity food recycling infrastructure, and converted into a nutrient-rich chicken feed ingredient intended for Whole Foods Market’s private-label egg suppliers.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Mill to support development and deployment of the technology.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Mill on its innovative commercial scale technology that will help us reduce food waste and operate more efficiently,” said Jason Buechel, VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and CEO of Whole Foods Market.
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration enables us to minimize waste while building a more circular supply chain that benefits our customers, communities and environment.”
Operational benefits
Mill Commercial will measure and characterize fruit and vegetable scraps, helping enable smarter inventory decisions and optimized ordering patterns. The advanced dehydration process can reduce waste volumes by up to 80 percent, simplifying handling requirements, lowering transportation costs and enhancing food safety.
The resulting feed ingredient aims to provide stability to Whole Foods Market suppliers and reduce price volatility for customers.
“Until now, there has been no advanced technology solution to tackle the problem of food waste at commercial scale,” said Matt Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Mill.
“With Mill Commercial, we are combining our innovative hardware with data and insights powered by AI to make it easier to dramatically reduce food waste in the grocery sector and beyond, turning what was ‘waste’ into a resource we can use.”
AI-Powered Tracking
Mill’s commercial system uses AI to track and measure food waste in real time, identifying what’s being thrown away, how much and how best to reuse the resource. The technology provides insights and opportunities for operational improvements and efficiencies.
“Utilizing Mill’s intelligent, connected and distributed infrastructure helps customers reduce food waste, scale a more circular supply chain and achieve greater operational efficiency,” said Thomas Selby, investor at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund.
The partnership supports Whole Foods Market’s goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030.
Mill was founded in 2020 by Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum, who previously worked together at Nest building the Nest Learning Thermostat. The company is based in San Bruno, California.
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