Marriott Hotels’ AI Technology Leads to Food Waste Reduction

According to the latest global research on food waste, up to one-third of all food produced is wasted. That’s about 1 billion meals lost each day. In addition to the economic impact, as food waste decomposes in landfills, it releases methane gas, which is 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
In the UK, the hospitality sector is responsible for about 12% of total food waste, generating approximately 920,000 tonnes annually. The heat is on the food industry to lower this appalling figure and some businesses are rising to the challenge, with the help of AI.
Marriott Hotels in the UK, Ireland and Nordics have implemented a food waste reduction initiative across 53 managed hotels, using Winnow AI technology to monitor and minimise food waste in hotel kitchens.
Six months into this initiative, Food & Beverage teams at Marriott Hotels have been able to reduce food waste by 25%, advancing the company’s sustainability goals and addressing the rising food waste disgrace across the hospitality industry.
Marriott International leads the way with AI-driven Food Waste Reduction Across 53 Hotels
Since its establishment in 1927, Marriott International has prioritised sustainability, with a dedicated foundation built upon the wellbeing and happiness of its associates. Now the company is working towards uplifting its environmental sustainability.
Through the integration of the Winnow AI platform across all 53 hotel food outlets, Marriott’s F&B teams have gained access to real-time data on food consumption and waste, enabling:
- Smarter decisions around ordering
- Menu planning
- Portion sizes.
This resource-efficient approach has allowed staff to significantly reduce food waste while maintaining high standards of guest service and satisfaction.
Marriott is the first hotel group to run AI food waste technology on this scale in the UK, with the support of The PLEDGE™, a global food waste certification.
The initiative also encourages mindfulness around food consumption, with hotels offering smaller portion options.
Some hotels offer QR codes on menus, giving guests access to zero-waste recipe ideas and tips on reducing waste at home.
Partnerships with local food banks and organisations, such as Too Good to Go, are in place to use up surplus food and any food waste leftover is composted or recycled.
Marriott leads AI-powered food waste reduction with creative culinary solutions
For Anna Pazdera, Executive Chef and Sustainability champion at Marriott Heathrow, reducing food waste has been a priority for us for some time.
"It’s been incredible to see the progress we’ve made to tackle this issue with the help of AI,” she shared. “The insights we’re getting allow us to make immediate adjustments in the kitchen, which not only helps us reduce waste but also gives us the opportunity to get creative with surplus ingredients, like turning banana peel into pulled pork for our signature vegetarian burgers."
Joanna Chugh, Area Vice President for UK, Ireland and Nordics for Marriott International, echoed that she was incredibly proud of the tremendous effort and dedication in reducing food waste across Marriott’s hotels.
"With over 3,000 team members—including culinary staff, kitchen stewards and F&B services—working together, we've already achieved a 25% reduction in food waste within six months - the equivalent of 486 tonnes of C02 from being released into the atmosphere or charging over 32m mobile phones"
David Jackson, Director of Marketing & Public Affairs, Winnow, added that he was thrilled to see how Marriott’s teams have embraced its technology to achieve such impressive results.
“This partnership highlights how technology, combined with Marriott’s commitment and collective efforts, can lead the way setting a new standard for the hospitality industry.”
However, the whole food sector must work harder to reduce food waste, as households account for around 70% of food waste in the UK, while supermarkets in the UK throw away around 100,000 tonnes of edible food each year.
The UK government has set a goal to decrease food waste by 50% by 2030.
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