Module : CAS
Group C
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2-100134408
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5-100134394
Impact of AI in
the Food Industry
Introduction
The food service market 2021 was valued at $2323.29
billion and is expected to grow from $2540.05 billion in
2022 to $5194.6 billion by 2030 (Skyquestt, 2024).
AI, as an emerging technology, has been involved in the
food industry using machine learning and data analytics.
AI is being applied in customer experience, supply chain
management, personalised nutrition, quality control,
precision agriculture and food production.
Currently, the AI in food and beverage market size is
around $ 9.68 billion in 2024, expected to reach $ 48.88
billion by 2029 (AI in Food & Beverages Market Size ).
The following paper will discuss AI involvement and the
challenges it does have in the food industry at large.
AI Description
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field in computer science that aims to
imitate human thinking processes, knowledge storage, and learning
ability.
AI is categorised into two:
Weak AI: which constructs machines to mimic human judgment (Mavani
et al., 2022).
Strong AI: Does envision machines that can truly represent the human
mind.
AI is used in food industry for quality determination, control tool,
classification of food, and prediction purposes.
AI is integrated with other devices like “Near Infrared Spectroscopy
(NIR)” to measure chemical properties (Mavani et al., 2022).
AI integrated with an electronic nose detects flavour and odour.
Food manufacturers like Campbell Soup Co. are using AI to assist
with product growth.
Campbell tracks data to assist in discovering what its clients want
next. In that initiative, it has introduced new products like chicken
noodle soup (Campbell, 2023).
Fast Food industry UK
The fast food industry in UK is thriving, in 2023 it was projected
to have ricked £36.3 billions (Mintel, 2024).
Consumers were seeking affordable options like loyalty programs
and meal deals this was because of the cost of living crisis.
The consumption trend, in the 12 months leading to June 2023,
about 45% of UK consumers ate in fast food outlets, but the
number ordering did drop by 5% (Mintel, 2024).
Consumers were much eager to return to an in-person
experience. This was following the impact of COVID-19.
The environmental consideration where over a fifth of 16-34-
year-olds are drawn to fast food outlets with environmentally
friendly initiatives.
As of 2022, the UK fast food was valued at £21.37 billion and is
expected to grow in 2023 ((Statista, 2024).
Globally the fast food industry is huge with a major focus on
affordability and convenience.
AI in the Food Industry
Data Automation and analysis: AI leverages its data
automation and analysis capabilities by assisting in decision-
making and optimising processes.
Farming Optimisation: AI improves farming efficiency this is by
automated harvesting, precision farming and crop monitoring
(Singh, 2023).
Supply Chain Management: AI assists in optimising supply
chain logistics by reducing waste and ensuring timely delivery.
Food Safety: AI is important in ensuring food safety by
detecting spoilage, contaminants and quality issues.
Product Development: AI assists in creating innovative food
products by analysing consumer preferences and trends
(Singh, 2023).
Personalized Nutrition: AI does tailor recommendations based
on individual needs, thus promoting personalised nutrition.
Challenges In Food industry
due to AI
Several challenges which Corporations may face several challenges
like, data availability and quality because AI algorithms rely on
high-quality big data for accurate decision management and
training (Liul, 2024).
Nevertheless, getting reliable and comprehensive data from
different sources in the food supply chain could be a huge task (Liul,
2024).
Data security and privacy are challenging because the food industry
deals with sensitive data, including manufacturing processes,
proprietary recipes, and customer information.
Lack of skilled labour is a challenge since AI tech needs labour with
expertise in machine learning, data analytics and AI. Hence, we
have a few of them (Liul, 2024).
The integration with existing structures is a challenge because
upgrading and retrofitting platforms to accommodate AI workflows
and algorithms needs careful coordination and planning.
Explainability and interpretability: Since AI algorithms frequently
operate as black boxes, knowing the reasoning behind their
decisions is hard.
Also, ethical considerations, such as algorithmic accountability,
fairness, and bias, must be addressed to avoid perpetuating
Solution through AI in food
industry
Safety and quality control where AI can identify and detect inconsistencies,
imperfections, and contaminants in the finished product (Chiaramonte, 2023).
Predictive automation and maintenance where the AU system could monitor
equipment, produce potential failure and identify patterns, thus allowing firms
to schedule maintenance proactively (Chiaramonte, 2023).
Inventory optimisation and management by analysing historical data and real-
time input can forecast demand, identify trends, and suggest inventory
adjustment.
Sorting of food, AI assist in sorting food like potatoes by size which assit
manufacture to decide which one needs potato chips versus French fries.
AI could be used to ensure that workers follow personal hygiene processes,
like the way KanKan signed a deal to offer an AI-powered solution for workers
in China (Garver, 2018).
AI could be used in cleaning processing equipment, which requires a lot of
resources and time; Nottingham University researchers are developing a
system which uses AI to reduce cleaning resources by 20-40% (Garver, 2018).
AI could be used in growing better food by using it to detect plant pests and
diseases, improve soil health and many more.
SWOT Analysis
AI has hugely impacted the food industry in recent decades, which has
been driven by a growing worldwide populace and an increase in food
demand:
Strengths:
Quality Determination
Control Tools
Food Classification (Liul, 2024)
Prediction
Weaknesses:
Data Dependency
Complex Implementation
Ethical Concerns
Lack of Skilled Labour
Opportunities:
Enhance Productivity
Personalisation
Supply Chain Optimization (Liul, 2024)
Threats:
Job Displacement
Security Risks
Overreliances
Conclusion
AI does play a huge role in revolutionising the food industry
worldwide.
Even with AI’s different challenges, it provides huge potential
for enhancing innovation and efficiency.
Integrating AI in food service, distribution and production is
unavoidable in this era.
To harness the benefits of AI, there is a need to address
challenges like ethical consideration and data security, which
are important.
The continued investment in AI research and development
(R&D) will shape the future of food.
In the future, customers will expect to see noticeable changes
to restaurant ordering processes with integrated AI in their
systems.
AI will help enhance creativity by generating novel recipes
References
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