AI-powered software company Afresh made to the THRIVE Top 50 FoodTech Companies list for the second year in a row. “The platform leverages artificial intelligence to ingest and digitize large volumes of fresh data, enabling accurate item-level forecasts, inventory understanding, and perishability predictions,” THRIVE said. “This empowers grocers to make margin-boosting decisions across their supply chain, reducing food waste and increasing product freshness.” Afresh positions itself as a mission-driven operation “driving both environmental and business results for grocery retailers” through its proprietary software that eliminates food waste through technological efficiency. While initially focused on reducing waste in the produce section, Afresh expanded its reach in 2023 to include the meat, seafood, deli, and foodservice departments. The company said its technology reduces shrink by a whopping 25% and lifts sales by an average of 3%. Afresh has developed a system that digs down to the granular level on products that are trickier to track, such as foods from the salad and hot bars. Rather than forecasting out a few days in advance, Afresh’s tech can estimate demand more than a month in advance. That longer time horizon helps grocers more efficiently plan orders. Once Afresh’s store ordering system is combined with its distribution ordering system “you can create this true demand signal across the chain and truly optimize your decisions.”