Sustainability-focused digital solution
designed to reduce food waste by at least 25% and improve retailer
fresh food supply chain management
LONDON and SANTA
CLARA, Calif., Jan. 22,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitachi Digital Services, the
digital consultancy and technology services subsidiary of Hitachi
Ltd. (TSE: 6501), is supporting food waste prevention specialists
OneThird in the development of a breakthrough solution
tackling the global food waste crisis. OneThird selected Digital
Services from Hitachi Vantara, now a new entity known as Hitachi
Digital Services, to combine its Azure cloud and application
expertise with their in-depth understanding of sensing and AI
technology and together they created a real-time data insights
platform to enable a smarter and more flexible food supply chain.
The solution enables fresh produce supply chains to prevent
significant waste of produce – 25% at least – while also saving on
the associated cost of those losses.
For more information about Hitachi Digital
Services efforts in sustainability,
visit:
https://hitachids.com/service/sustainability/
Currently about 1/3 of food production is lost and wasted
globally, despite unprecedented levels of human consumption,
courtesy of a growing global population that is set to increase by
nearly 2 billion people in the next 30 years. The financial costs
of food wastage are substantial and amount to about
USD 1 trillion each year. It is
imperative that solutions are created to ensure there is enough
food for everyone, which also includes reducing the current food
waste crisis.
OneThird has developed a portable scanner that is able to scan
produce on a molecular level – analyzing their water, sugar, and
starch content – using a non-destructive, near-infrared sensing
technology and AI algorithms to predict the shelf-life of fresh
produce. Leveraging Hitachi Digital Services' cloud development
capabilities, the estimated shelf-life data becomes available in
real-time, enabling all parties involved to decide on the final
retail destinations of the fresh produce or redirect to alternative
purposes like dry freezing or processing into soups and sauces.
Marco Snikkers, CEO and
founder of OneThird said, "The astronomical volume of food
that goes to waste each year is heartbreaking, particularly since
so much is wasted in affluent countries. We've worked closely with
Hitachi Vantara to create technology that helps to address this
persistent, global challenge which directly impacts food scarcity.
We are proud to have built the first cloud-based and connected
product that accurately and objectively predicts the shelf life of
fresh produce. The interest has been overwhelming, and we aim to
accelerate the deployment of our technology globally."
The insights obtained from the scanning data enable retailers
to:
- Consider the best distribution routes based on produce shelf
life and customer specifications;
- Repurpose items to food banks or processing instead of having
produce rejected by shoppers due to short shelf life;
- Provide best before and expiration dates based on actual shelf
life rather than default values; and,
- Apply discounts in-store if produce shelf life is near
expiration and better manage stock by placing items with a longer
shelf life towards the back.
To help drive OneThird's digital strategy and journey, Hitachi
Vantara's consulting services co-created the data and analytics
integration platform and interfaces to interact with different
external platforms in real-time.
"Currently able to predict the shelf life of tomatoes,
strawberries, blueberries and avocados, the technology will extend
to a range of further produce including grapes, bananas, mangoes,
and raspberries by 2024. Notably, the solution solves the 'avocado
problem,' with shoppers no longer needing to squeeze avocadoes
in-store to test for their ripeness, which can damage them," said
Roger Lvin, CEO of Hitachi
Digital Services. "As the food waste crisis continues,
retailers must be equipped with the insights needed to reduce food
waste in a truly impactful way. It's exciting that our data-driven
solutions are playing a role in helping to achieve this. We're
proud to have collaborated with OneThird on this initiative, which
not only supports sustainable practices but also has huge growth
potential, as new product developments are currently in the works.
We are incredibly excited to see what this solution will go on to
achieve."
The technology is already available for use by those working
across the food supply chain, from growers to distributors. In
addition, multiple European retailers are currently in talks to
install the technology in-store, while all are already using the
scanning devices within their supply chains.
This co-created digital solution is the latest example
showcasing Hitachi's expertise in helping customers to drive their
sustainability goals, having recently worked with Golden Grove to improve the nursery's
irrigation practices by 30% and Blechwarenfabrik Limburg to
reduce energy costs by half a million Euros annually.
Additional Resources
- Blog: Bringing the Environmental Fight to Food
Waste
- Video: OneThird solution used in the fresh supply chain
of a large Dutch retailer: https://youtu.be/dJjub2ECXD8
- Press Release: Global reorganization to strengthen
synergies leveraging OT and IT.com.
Connect With Hitachi Digital Services
About Hitachi Digital Services
Hitachi Digital
Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., is an
edge-to-core digital consultancy and technology services provider
helping organizations realize the full potential of AI-driven
digital transformation. Through a technology-unified operating
model for cloud, data and IoT, Hitachi Digital Services' end-to-end
value creation for clients is established through innovation in
digital engineering, implementation services, products, and
solutions. Built on Hitachi Group's more than 110 years of
innovation across industries, Hitachi Digital Services helps to
improve people's lives today and build a sustainable society
tomorrow. To learn more, visit https://hitachids.com.
About OneThird
OneThird is on a mission to
address a $1 trillion annual problem
— reducing the loss of one-third of all food produced worldwide.
OneThird's food tech solutions for growers, distributors and
grocery retailers allow for high-accuracy shelf life prediction of
produce at any stage of the supply chain — ensuring the right
product gets to the right place at the right time. Using passion
and creativity, OneThird delivers meaningful solutions to improve
sustainability efforts, feed those in need, and save customers
money.
Founded in 2019 in a digital incubator for FTSE 100 company
Halma plc [LON:HLMA], and based in Enschede, The Netherlands, OneThird is a privately held
company backed by impact investors Pymwymic, SHIFT Invest and Oost
NL. Follow OneThird on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram or learn more at
https://onethird.io.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation
Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data
and technology. We solve customers' and society's challenges with
Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and
products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of "Digital
Systems & Services" - supporting our customers' digital
transformation; "Green Energy & Mobility" - contributing to a
decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and
"Connective Industries" - connecting products through digital
technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by
Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through
co-creation with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues
for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31,
2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion
yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately
320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi,
please visit the company's website
at https://www.hitachi.com.
HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark
of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and company
names are properties of their respective owners.
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