Food waste is a trillion dollar problem hidden in front of you. In a commercial kitchen, 30% of food does not reach the plate. That waste amounts to up to $382 billion a year, but all kitchens struggle to keep costs down and meet growing expectations of sustainability.
MetaFoodx believes AI can fix it.
The startup has developed a smart 3D scanner that will help foodservice operators track what is being made, what is being offered, and what is being thrown away. Captures on-the-spot data and scans food to record weight, temperature, and whether it has been reused, donated or disposed of. With that information, the kitchen can tighten forecasts, streamline production and dramatically reduce waste.
MetaFoodx raises $9.4 million to bring AI and automation to the fight against food waste
To expand its efforts, MetaFoodx has closed its $9.4 million funding round led by Trustbridge Partners with participation from Bluerun Ventures and ScalableVision Capital.
“Commercial kitchens are looking to technology to reduce waste, reduce costs and achieve sustainability goals, reducing the food technology market to over $800 billion over the next five years,” said a lead investor at Trustbridge. “MetaFoodx is a sophisticated and practical device that offers advanced ROI and savings, and we took advantage of this opportunity with advanced AI and scanning technology.”
The patented 3D AI scanner is built for the forefront of food manipulation and captures images, weight and temperature of all plates or breads in just 2 seconds. Think of it as a data-driven co-pilot for the kitchen team. This helps you track not only what is prepared, but what is actually eaten, what is left behind, why it is not used, compost, donations, reuse, etc., where it was not used.
MetaFoodx Mobile AI Scanner
Scanners aren’t just smart. It’s fast. In seconds, it links food to menu items, logs for compliance, and helps the kitchen understand consumption patterns in real time. That means less speculation and more accurate. MetaFoodx says its system could reduce waste by up to 50% and bring a 200% return on investment within a few weeks.
The company’s work has already attracted the attention of celebrities. MetaFoodx recently received the 2025 Kitchen Innovation Award from the National Restaurant Association, which includes judges including experts from the US Air Force, Disney and Aramark.
“The magic behind MetaFoodx is its ability to tackle food waste with its source,” said co-founder and CEO Fengmin Gong. “We have made it very easy for operators to use data from their kitchens to improve orders, food preparation and services to reduce waste by 90%.”
MetaFoodx’s platform is already in use by universities and food service providers across the country. And with a fresh capital, the team bets on a future in which smart kitchens will not only feed people, but waste it.
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