SAN FRANCISCO, CA - After announcing its partnership with Afresh back in January of 2023, Albertsons Companies is expanding the reach of the innovator’s AI-powered platform to a new department. Witnessing the successful deployment and implementation of the platform in the produce department, the retailer was inspired to apply it to its meat and seafood in its ongoing effort to ensure the freshest possible products make it into shoppers’ baskets.

“At Albertsons, we strive to create a distinctive experience in fresh foods, and our meat and seafood departments are a key component in this strategy. Afresh has enabled our associates to make smarter decisions daily that keep customer favorites in stock and ensure that we are offering them the best-quality, freshest product,” said Susan Morris, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Albertsons. “The Afresh platform also helps our stores to significantly reduce food waste as Albertsons continues to make progress toward our goal to have zero waste going to landfill by 2030.”

Since the partnership’s inception, Albertsons has delivered fresher produce with higher in-stock rates while reducing food waste, a press release explained. Following a successful two-month pilot in meat and seafood departments in 2023, the Afresh platform began an immediate chainwide rollout across Albertsons banner stores, including Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Vons, and ACME.

The Afresh platform drives better decision-making across the fresh supply chain with intelligent and connected solutions purpose-built for the complexities of fresh food. It will enable Albertsons’ meat and seafood teams to keep coolers and freezers light while boosting in-stock rates with AI-powered recommendations for high-value, hyper-perishable items and prefilled order quantities for slower-moving, prepackaged items.

It features an intuitive, easy-to-use interface and workflows that follow department-specific best practices so department managers can quickly place profit-maximizing orders.

“Managing a meat and seafood department is particularly challenging because of the financial implications of shrink. To meet these challenges, Afresh is leveraging AI at scale to support accurate ordering for complex cutting and production items,” said Dain Charette, Chief Revenue Officer at Afresh. “Additionally, we are excited about furthering our mission and continuing to support Albertsons’ ESG goal of reducing food waste.”

What innovative measures will Albertsons introduce next to support its dedication to freshness and sustainability? Keep reading ANUK for answers.

Albertsons Afresh