By Orit Naomi, RTN staff writer - 5.16.2025
Metafoodx, a San Francisco-based AI food operations company, announced today it has raised $9.4 million in funding to expand the development and deployment of its 3D scanner and analytics platform designed to help commercial kitchens reduce food waste. The round was led by Trustbridge Partners, with participation from BlueRun Ventures and ScalableVision Capital.
The timing of the funding reflects growing urgency across the foodservice industry to address food waste, which remains one of the largest — and most costly — inefficiencies in restaurant operations. According to estimates from the USDA, ReFED, and NRDC, U.S. commercial kitchens overproduce food by as much as 20–30%. The result is over $380 billion worth of food discarded each year, much of it still usable. In full-service restaurants, institutional kitchens, and quick-service chains alike, food waste directly impacts not only margins and labor efficiency, but also carbon emissions and compliance with increasingly stringent sustainability mandates.
At a time when operators are grappling with tighter margins, rising ingredient costs, and unpredictable demand patterns, tools that can bring greater visibility into what’s actually being prepped, served, and discarded are gaining traction. Metafoodx enters this space with a compact AI-powered scanner that captures multiple data points — including image, weight, and temperature — within seconds. The system then logs the data, connects it to menu and ingredient databases, and provides analysis on how much of what’s being prepared is actually consumed. Over time, the system builds predictive models that help forecast future production and identify areas of consistent overproduction or inefficiency.
The device is being used not only to track what’s served, but also what’s wasted — including food that’s composted, reused, or donated. According to Metafoodx, early adopters have reported food waste reductions of up to 50% and strong returns on investment within weeks of deployment.
While food waste has long been a concern in the industry, the recent wave of innovation in this area reflects a broader shift toward data-driven kitchen operations. Metafoodx is one of a growing number of technology companies tackling this issue from various angles. Leanpath, a longtime category leader, offers smart scales and food waste tracking software focused on institutional foodservice settings. Winnow, based in the UK, uses camera systems and AI to quantify waste and has built strong traction in hotel and hospitality kitchens. Other companies, such as Phood and Orbisk, are developing hardware-software hybrids that integrate waste tracking with ordering systems and inventory management.
What sets Metafoodx apart, according to its investors, is the company’s ability to deliver fast, high-resolution data in a format that is accessible to operators at all levels — not just large institutions with sustainability departments. The system is also designed with ease of use in mind, allowing non-technical kitchen staff to scan and record items quickly without interrupting the flow of service.
Fengmin Gong, co-founder and CEO of Metafoodx, previously co-founded cybersecurity firm Cyphort (acquired by Juniper Networks), and brings a background in applied AI and operational analytics to the foodservice industry. “We started Metafoodx with a simple idea: if kitchens could easily see what’s being wasted — and why — they could make better decisions every day,” said Gong. “It turns out that most kitchens don’t need a complex dashboard, they just need accurate data in real time, tied to what’s actually happening on the line.”
In recognition of its innovation, Metafoodx was recently awarded a 2025 Kitchen Innovations Award from the National Restaurant Association. The award, judged by a panel of independent foodservice experts including representatives from Disney, Aramark, and the U.S. Air Force, spotlights equipment and technologies that improve kitchen efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Beyond technology alone, the company is positioning itself as part of a larger operational strategy to help foodservice providers meet their waste reduction targets. Interest in food waste reduction has accelerated with the growth of ESG investing, regulatory changes in states like California and New York, and voluntary pledges from many of the nation’s largest restaurant brands. Reducing food waste has been identified by the United Nations and Project Drawdown as one of the most impactful steps industries can take to reduce global emissions.
Metafoodx’s go-to-market strategy has so far focused on higher education dining programs and healthcare systems, both of which operate high-volume, tray-based service and face increasing pressure to track and reduce food waste. As the platform evolves, the company is expanding into QSR and contract foodservice environments where fast prep cycles and tight labor conditions make waste reduction particularly challenging — and where automation can deliver the most immediate gains.
Attendees of the upcoming National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago can see the Metafoodx system in action. The company is expected to announce several new pilots and partnerships during the event.
As operators across the restaurant ecosystem reevaluate their kitchen technologies with an eye toward efficiency and sustainability, solutions like Metafoodx’s are likely to become a core part of the conversation. Whether it’s tracking what goes out the door or what ends up in the bin, the data now exists — and the tools are catching up.
