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A national grocery store is using AI to reduce moldy, squishy strawberries and grapes in its produce aisle.
Albertsons Companies, which operates more than 2,000 grocery stores in 35 states including Safeway, Jewel-Osco and ACME, announced this week that it has deployed proprietary AI technology to “ensure customers always receive fresh, high-quality produce.”
The grocer said its patent-pending intelligent quality control tools use computer vision to help distribution center employees maintain high standards for the quality and consistency of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Albertsons said in a press release that the tool uses Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise, which includes Vision AI and Gemini models.
The tool is currently being used at four Albertsons distribution centers and will be expanded to all locations later this year, the company told USA TODAY.
“We are currently in the process of expanding this to include blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, with plans to add apples, cherries and citrus fruits later this year,” the company said.
AI tools do more than just check for moldy or overripe fruits. Albertsons said it is also looking for “damage, discoloration, rot, overripeness, overripeness, and insect damage.” “The tool then provides highly accurate and consistent ratings and recommendations to quality control inspectors for approval before the produce hits the store.”
Andy Harig, vice president of tax, trade, sustainability and policy development at food industry association FMI, which represents the food and grocery industry, said his members are leveraging AI in many aspects of the fresh produce sector.
“Produce has long been one of the most challenging sectors for retailers when it comes to disposal because it has a limited shelf life and consumers have very personal expectations regarding appearance and quality,” Harig told USA TODAY.
This challenge creates a natural area for AI to improve order dynamics and help manage unsold products, he said.
“Building on early innovations such as smart labels, we are also seeing increasing adoption of tools to assess quality, freshness, and appearance, and AI will make these solutions more affordable, easier to scale, and ultimately reduce waste,” he said.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
