There is so much food waste in the United States that about one-third of all food waste ends up in landfills instead of stomachs. This results in excess demand for production, packaging, storage and transportation, all of which have a negative impact on climate change.
a recent study Research published in the journal Science found that food production accounts for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Food delivery services like HelloFresh, Blue Apron and EveryPlate reduce this by sending consumers the specific recipes they want.
A New York startup called Hungryroot is taking it a step further. The nine-year-old company — using artificial intelligence, of course — is delivering more curated experiences and delivering the precise amounts of food consumers will consume.
Customers answer a series of questions about their food preferences, allergies, health goals, and how and when they cook. Hungryroot’s technology can deduce recipes and groceries that are best for each customer.
“Hungryroot is designed from the ground up to give you what you need for the week,” Ben McKean, the company’s CEO, told CNBC. “It gives you simple recipes so you know exactly what to do with them, and as a result, our customers’ Food waste is significantly reduced.”
Hungryroot sends users a weekly list of items in their shopping cart, allowing them to approve or change items. The company was also able to reduce its own waste. If it determines that the user has no preference between broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and the company happens to have more broccoli in its warehouse, then they will recommend those broccoli.
The company says its process helps reduce food waste by 80% compared to traditional supermarkets.
Investors say this unique model is also conducive to its profits.
“They’ve been profitable for three or four years now, which is unusual for a lot of e-commerce, food businesses,” said Jeremy Liew, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. “They’re spending money because they’ve built a business that customers really like.
In addition to Lightspeed, Hungryroot is backed by L Catterton, Crosslink Capital, Karp Reilly and Lerer Hippeau. The company has raised a total of $75 million.
— CNBC climate producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this article.
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