MSU Fights Food Waste With AI Powered Cameras

It started with a simple observation: students weren't eating their Philly cheesesteaks.

"Those subs were just way too big," explained Ivan Zou, co-founder of Raccoon Eyes, a startup partnering with Michigan State University to pioneer a new approach to food sustainability on campus.

Since mid-August, this partnership has deployed innovative artificial intelligence technology in two of MSU's busiest dining halls. The goal is to get a clear picture of what's being thrown away, and more importantly, why.

How AI Is Tracking Leftovers

At the dish returns in Heritage Commons at Landon Hall and The Edge at Akers Hall, specialized cameras from Raccoon Eyes are hard at work. As students return their trays, these cameras snap pictures and create 3-D models of any uneaten food. An advanced AI then analyzes these models to estimate the weight and type of food being discarded. According to Zou, the system boasts an impressive 90% accuracy rate.

This stream of data provides insights that were previously impossible to gather on such a large scale.

From Manual Weighing to Automated Insights

By identifying trends in what students leave behind, MSU can make smarter decisions to curb waste. "MSU can learn to better portion meals and change recipes to reduce food waste," said Carla Iansiti, the sustainability officer in MSU’s Residential & Hospitality Services.

The year-long partnership builds upon a much more labor-intensive initiative. For seven years, dining hall staff would dedicate a single day to manually weighing food left on plates. A 2019 report from the last active year of that program showed students wasted an average of 2.96 ounces of food per meal. The manual program was discontinued after COVID-19 led to staff and budget cuts.

Challenges and Early Hurdles

While the new AI technology automates and simplifies data collection, it isn't without its challenges. To ensure the cameras get a clear view of the food, signs now ask students to remove napkins from their plates before returning them. Iansiti also noted a potential issue at Akers Hall, where students have a habit of stacking their used plates, which could obstruct the camera's view.

To supplement the visual data, Raccoon Eyes has also installed interactive kiosks in the dining halls. These stations ask students questions about the food to help contextualize the trends identified by the cameras. Iansiti mentioned that once enough data is collected, these displays will share statistics on food waste and offer playful reminders to be more sustainable.

For now, the kiosks feature the company's mascot, an environmentally-conscious cartoon raccoon named Rowdy. However, getting students to engage is proving to be its own challenge.

Psychology senior Adam Duffy thinks the kiosks are an innovative way to get student feedback, but like many others, he admitted he's never actually used one. On a recent Wednesday, scores of students walked past the waving raccoon, trays in hand, without giving it a second glance. In a full hour, only a single student approached the kiosk to rate the food.