In the battle against climate change, it marks an important pillar. Reducing the amount of food that gets thrown away is therefore an impactful way of reducing our environmental footprint. IKEA Belgium has been actively taking action for several months, using AI to help the cooking staff in their decision-making.
While throwing away some leftovers might not seem like a big deal, on a bigger scale, it is. According to data shared by the European Commission and gathered by Eurostat in 2025, 58 million tonnes of food waste (130 kilograms per inhabitant) are generated annually in the European Union alone. The associated market value is estimated at 132 billion euros, while 42 million Europeans cannot afford a quality meal every second day.
Combating food waste is thus of utmost important and since October 2025, IKEA Belgium has been using Kikleo’s Conveyor Scan to tackle the problem using AI. To put it concretely, a smart camera was installed above the clearing belt in Ikea Belgium’s branch in Anderlecht.
The technology scans the plates returned by diners, recognises all different kinds of food, and then translates that data in real-time into a fact sheet used by the kitchen team. This then allows them to determine where the most food goes to waste and how much to cook of each dish.
“With the Conveyor Scan, every scrap left on the plate becomes a data point. Thanks to the camera above the clearing belt, we can see exactly which ingredients are left behind most often and where portions or dishes could be better adjusted. This allows the kitchen team to redesign plates and menus in a very targeted way, fine-tune portion sizes and ensure that less food ends up in the bin”, explains Toby Van Dromme, Food Operational Leader at IKEA Belgium.
For example, in October 2025, 44% of the food left by customers consisted of carbohydrates, 13% were categorised as proteïnes, 22% consisted of desserts, 11% were vegetables, and 10% consisted of starters. Moreover, 78% of the carbohydrates that were thrown away were French fries.
AI and sustainability
At the Vancouver Web Summit 2025, Parag Parekh, chief digital officer at IKEA, explained how IKEA has been using AI to become more sustainable throughout its entire operation, from food production to overall circularity. While the particular use of AI at the Anderlecht branch marks a global first for the Swedish furniture giant, other initiatives are thus likely to arise in the future.
Aside from the Conveyor Scan, Ikea Belgium has been closely collaborating with Too Good To Go for years. Through the app, customers can order a surprise package, consisting of leftovers from the restaurant and Swedish food store, which they can then pick up on-site at the different branches throughout the country. According to Maxime Heutz, Head of Key Accounts at Too Good To Go for Belgium and the Netherlands, this has already saved some 74,000 meals and approximately 200 tonnes of CO₂.
