Food waste in Canada’s supply chain rarely comes from carelessness. More often, it results from decisions made under uncertainty: processors hedging against unknown shelf life, distributors rejecting products out of caution, and retailers disposing of inventory because the risk of keeping it is too high. The system loses edible food because operators don’t know enough early enough.
Canadian innovators are using artificial intelligence to tighten that information gap, giving producers, processors, and distributors clearer signals about quality, timing, and surplus.
Earlier Signals From the Field
Toronto-based Vivid Machines develops computer vision and machine learning technology that captures orchard-level data weeks before harvest using a multispectral camera system mounted on tractors or ATVs. Their AI models analyze each fruit’s chemical and physical signatures to forecast yield and quality—Accuracy reached 97% in field trials one week before harvest, according to the whitepaper.
This matters downstream. Packhouses and processors rarely know what they’re getting until fruit arrives at the facility. When the actual quality or volume doesn’t match expectations, waste follows—either through overharvesting, undersupplied orders, or rushed storage decisions.
With earlier, crop-specific forecasts, partners can plan labour, allocate storage, and align sales commitments to what will actually come off the trees. Less mismatch means less waste before the product even reaches processing facilities.
Moving Surplus Before It Expires
Calgary startup Knead Technologies is tackling waste at the surplus recovery stage. Their digital platform automates the logistics of matching donors with nonprofits, coordinating pickups, and tracking deliveries—tasks that historically consumed time and made diversion inconsistent. AI is used to optimize routing and analyze donation patterns, improving responsiveness.
The platform has already enabled the recovery of over 900,000 kg of food (equivalent to 1.67 million meals) and avoided more than 236 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, according to the whitepaper. By removing friction from the handoff between donors and charities, Knead makes diversion a routine operational pathway rather than a special initiative.
Download the Full Whitepaper: AI and the Future of Canada’s Food Sector
See how Canadian companies like Vivid Machines and Knead Technologies are applying AI to product development, automation, food safety, supply chains, and waste reduction.
Our latest whitepaper will help you understand the obstacles to adoption, the competitive advantages at stake, and the policy supports needed to strengthen Canada’s food innovation ecosystem.
Available exclusively to CFIN members. Access the full report here!