Albertsons has started to pilot AI-powered salad bars in six of its stores on the East Coast of the US.
The salad bars are designed by European food tech company Picadeli, which has thousands of salad bars across European supermarkets. Albertsons AI-powered bars are Picadeli’s first foray into the US market and can feature up to 60 selections at a time.
Albertsons supplies all the food items from the salad bars through its relationships it keeps with food producers, with products arriving labelled with QR codes. Staff scan the codes as the items are added to the bar, Picadeli then automatically monitors how long products have been on display, generating alerts when food is at the end of its shelf life. The system also optimises the assortment of foods in each store based on consumption patterns.
Food kept in the salad bar are also kept at the correct temperatures as AI can detect if the hood normally used to cover them to maintain freshness is not closed after a customer has taken food.
