How Nuvilab food scanning tech is helping reduce carbon emissions

Food waste is the main culprit of global warming yet food prices are rising every year. Companies are trying to minimize food waste but it’s a very difficult task.

That’s where Nuvilab comes in. The Korea-based startup is on a mission to reduce food waste around the world by using food scanning technology. The company says that most food waste is caused by a lack of data.

Consequently, its goal is to use food scanning technology to help cafeteria and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) managers achieve their zero-waste goals by reducing food waste without sacrificing meal quality, appearance, and satisfaction.

Nuvilab has developed multiple technologies to help businesses and governments tackle rising food prices. They say that their food scanning tech has the potential to cut down 9% of the greenhouse gas emissions currently generated from food waste, and can help companies align with the EU’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40% by 2030, half of which comes from food waste.

Nuvilab also claims that by enabling cafeteria managers to make data-driven decisions that will allow them to optimize their menu plan and recipes, its products help managers to reduce food material cost by up to 5%, reduce over-prepped food by 30%, and reduce plate waste by 42%.

Not to mention, that by allowing cafeteria managers to plan and develop recipes that meet users’ preferences, Nuvilab says its solutions will also help cafeterias increase meal satisfaction for diners.

The company has developed two food scanners and a mobile app that automatically analyzes the type and amount of food served. They can also analyze the amount of food eaten or left over by diners. This provides cafeteria managers with data that enables them to understand each diner’s preference and then the cafeteria manager can more effectively optimize serving quantities to prevent food waste with their next order.

The Nuvilab Scan Stand Scanner is specifically designed for school, military, and kindergarten cafeterias. Nuvilabs says diners place their food tray close to the scanner before or after their meal, and it uses face recognition technology, an ID, or a QR code to determine who the user is and store the data from the scanned tray in their profile.

The company’s Auto Scanner is a compact scanner that’s been designed specifically to blend in corporate cafeterias. It uses motion detection to detect plates and automatically measures them before or after the meal. A personal link with the diner can be established using an ID or QR code.

Last but not least, their Mobile Scanner app is targeted at consumers. Unlike the other food scanners that need to be installed by the cafeteria, the mobile scanner is built inside of the Nuvilab app and can also scan plates before or after the meal.

Nuvilab recently raised $80 million in Series A funding and claims to have its products operational in over 70 locations in Korea, such as schools, businesses, and government agencies. The company will be exhibiting at the upcoming CES 2023 conference next month.

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