Reducing bakery returns and increasing sustainability through FoodTracks order optimisation software
On 25 September 2024, LOWINFOOD partner Christina Strotmann (Institute of Sustainable Nutrition – ISUN) presented at the Retaste Conference the results attained in the implementation of the FoodTracks bread order forecasting software, one of the LOWINFOOD technological innovations, in the German bakery sector.
In total, 4.7 million tonnes of bakery goods are produced annually in Germany, but 1.7 million tonnes are wasted, one third of it due to the return of unsold bakery products. Hence, there is a great potential to reduce bakery returns and the loss of the associated resources.
The forecasting software FoodTracks offered by Antegon GmbH provides advanced software solutions tailored for bakeries, focusing on optimizing production processes and reducing food waste using artificial intelligence. The platform, an AI-powered software, helps bakeries plan orders for the bakery branches more accurately, by taking into account variables such as sales history, weather and holidays, which minimizes overproduction and returns. By improving order planning, bakeries can cut costs, enhance efficiency, and significantly reduce the amount of baked goods wasted.
In LOWINFOOD, FoodTracks was tested in three German bakeries, with a total of 36 bakery branches, where they assessed its potential to reduce the number of returned products, which would be returned to the respective central processing unit. The efficiency of the software (its waste reduction potential) was measured, together with its economic and environmental impact. The average return rate was around 12%, equivalent to 72kg of returned bakery products at each bakery, although there was a high level of variability between bakeries.
“Although it is AI-based, we were able to confirm that the success of the project is highly dependent on the skills and motivation of the bakery team behind it,” the researcher stressed.
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