Carrefour Belgium has partnered with Swedish food waste company Deligate to launch an AI tool designed to manage best before dates at scale.

The supermarket said it currently has to process around 40,00 food items for discounts across 83 of its largest stores every day.

Carrefour said the technology will allows it track inventory in real time, anticipate changes in demand and make informed decisions to mitigate the risks involved with overstocking products.

The tool will also provide the supermarket with analytics data to gain insight into customer habits and preferences allowing it to better plan its stores.

Carrefour says that the new technology, which has been implemented after a successful pilot scheme, aims to help the retail chain tackle food waste.

Additionally, it said staff will save around 60 hours per day in each store and will use this time to serve customers and perform other tasks.

Commenting on the news Benoît Moreau, new technology and manager of retail technology platform Winstore at Carrefour Belgium, said: "The new tool will help us streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve profitability. With the integrated smart discounts and full control of shelf inventory, it will play a key role in our strategy to reduce waste and enhance economic performance."

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