AI Food-Waste Technology Gains Traction With Hotel Operators
June 10, 2026
ZURICH — Swiss food-tech company KITRO is seeing increased demand from hotels and food service operators as the European Union’s new food-waste regulations put more pressure on hospitality businesses to measure and reduce waste.
The company said its AI-powered food-waste-reduction technology has been used in more than 500 kitchens in more than 40 countries, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, hospitals, universities, large-scale catering operations and cruise ships.
According to KITRO, its customers have achieved 13 million euros in cost savings, saved 4.1 million meals and prevented 1,860 metric tons of edible food waste since the company’s founding in 2017.
The growth comes as the European Union has adopted binding food-waste-reduction targets, requiring retailers, restaurants, hotels and food service operators to reduce per-capita food waste by 30% by 2030. Spain also has introduced anti-food-waste legislation requiring many businesses to implement food-waste-prevention plans and reduction measures by the end of 2026.
“For many years, food waste was seen primarily as a sustainability issue. Today, it is increasingly becoming both a financial and compliance issue,” said KITRO founders Anastasia Hofmann and Naomi MacKenzie.
The company said demand has been particularly strong on the Iberian Peninsula. KITRO recently signed Hyatt Inclusive Collection, which has deployed the company’s food waste reduction system in 26 properties over the past 12 months.
KITRO also has long-term partnerships with hospitality brands including Hyatt, Marriott International, Four Seasons and 25hours Hotels, according to the company.
MHP Hotel AG has deployed KITRO TARE across nine properties since 2023. At Hotel Luc Berlin, a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, edible food waste was reduced by 49% within one year, generating 72,892 euros in cost savings, according to KITRO.
KITRO TARE uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to identify and classify food waste at the point of disposal. The data is displayed in a dashboard designed to help operators adjust purchasing, production planning and portion sizing.
The company said its food-waste specialists also work with customers through performance reviews and recommendations based on the data. KITRO said customers can reduce avoidable food waste by up to 60% and typically lower food costs by 2% to 8% within the first six months.
KITRO was founded in 2017 by Hofmann and MacKenzie, two hospitality professionals who developed the company after seeing food waste in hotel and food service operations. The company is focused on growth across Europe, North America and the Iberian Peninsula.
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