Beginning in 2027, Amazon will deploy on-site food waste conversion technology in Whole Foods Market stores that will turn fruit and vegetable scraps from back-of-house operations into a nutrient-rich chicken feed ingredient intended for the supermarket’s private-label egg suppliers.
Amazon will use the new Mill Commercial devices, similar to consumer waste devices from Mill, to grind and dehydrate food scraps, transforming them into dry, odorless shelf-stable food grounds. Additionally, Mill Commercial will use AI capabilities to track and measure food waste in real time to identify what’s being thrown away, how much, and the optimal ways to use the resource. In addition to reducing hauling and infrastructure costs, the initiative is expected to cut carbon emissions associated with food waste management.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Mill on its innovative commercial-scale technology that will help us reduce food waste and operate more efficiently,” said Jason Buechel, VP Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and CEO, Whole Foods Market, in a statement. “This first-of-its-kind collaboration enables us to minimize waste while building a more circular supply chain that benefits our customers, communities and environment.”
“Utilizing Mill’s intelligent, connected and distributed infrastructure helps customers reduce food waste, scale a more circular supply chain, and achieve greater operational efficiency,” said Thomas Selby, Investor at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, which has made a financial investment to support the tech’s deployment in Whole Foods Stores, in a statement. “We’ve been following Mill since inception and are thrilled to invest now to support the development and deployment of their commercial technology at Whole Foods Market and beyond.”
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Several retailers have initiated programs to reduce food waste, both for economic and ecological benefits. However, this appears to be the first technology that will be deployed specifically in-store. Some recent efforts in this area include:
- In October 2023 Price Chopper/Market32 expanded its food waste reduction efforts via its partnership with Invafresh;
- In September 2024 meal kit company Hello Fresh reported that it had repurposed nearly 4 million pounds of food waste into food-based products like compost and animal feed;
- In February 2025 Giant Food reported that it had processed nearly 80 million pounds of unsold food since beginning a food waste prevention program in June 2022;
- In September 2025 Ikea launched a program to divert food waste from its restaurants in partnership with Vanguard Renewables.
