From Plate to Planet: Augmented Reality’s Role in Cutting India’s Restaurant Food Waste

The Sustainable Development Goal 12, given by the United Nations, speaks about the responsible production and consumption, which in today's time is very crucial for a country like India, which hosts the highest population globally. With a higher population, the task of meeting the food needs of millions of people on a day-to-day basis is almost impossible and which also leads to millions going hungry every day. Yet, a contradiction to it, 68 million tonnes of food is wasted annually by the restaurants across the nation, costing the economy about Rs 92,000 crores.

This clearly shows a gap that exists in the responsible production and consumption path. One of the solutions to solve this problem is the use of Augmented reality (AR), which is popularly used in gaming in order to make consumers more responsible in their consumption habits.

Technology Meets the Table

At the global level, Le Petit Chef in the Philippines is using AR technology, which provides the diners with an experience of a miniature chef walking to them and explaining the journey of the dish, which includes the resources used, labour, and time involved in the preparation of the dish ordered by the diner. A small story presented to the diner inculcates the tangible value of food and brings in the sense of mindful consumption, thereby reducing food wastage. AR could also be used in presenting the 3D previews of the dishes a restaurant offers, providing the nutritional data, and giving the diners an immersive experience of walking them through the sourcing and preparation methods. 

A Nation of Scarcity and Surplus

India hosts the highest population globally, it also hosts a quarter of the world’s undernourished population. On the contrary, the average spending of the consumer on eating in restaurants has doubled from ₹2,500 to ₹5,400 in the last few years and leading the food service sector, which is set to hit USD 79.65 billion by 2028. While the spending is increasing, the food wastage is also increasing (8-10 per cent annually), which is deepening food insecurity and posing a strain on natural resources.

Nudging Towards Mindful Choices

The mindful choices start with the behavioural science, which projects the real-time cues that then can shape into decisions. The AR technology could be used to impact the decision-making process of the diner. One such small example could be when a diner orders a large portion, a story could be portrayed about how the uneaten food is equating to hundreds of litres of water, which goes wasted, or the degraded farmlands, which are similar to what the food delivery apps are doing for encouraging the customers to skip the use of disposable cutlery. If it is followed in the restaurants, then it could encourage the diners to be responsible consumers by promoting smaller portions, shared plates, and appreciating the resources behind each meal.

Challenges to Chew Over 

First and foremost challenge is regarding the data privacy and energy footprint of AR technology. The next set of challenges would be accessibility to all, which also includes the cost barriers and raises the need for inclusive, multilingual, and accessible design, which grabs the attention. Lastly, an orientation of the AR technology to the restaurant staff and patrons.

A Collaborative Recipe

If there exists a better cooperation between technology, developers, restaurateurs, policy makers, and consumers, then the full potential of AR technology to cut food waste could be harnessed. Rather than using it as a novelty, if AR is used purposefully, then each meal could be transformed from an act of mere indulgence to an act of awareness by making the hidden cost of food visible to the diners. It also paves a path for the restaurants to be profitable at the same time, while being sustainable by helping the nation move closer to achieving SDG-12.

As consumers, we have to make a wise choice between feeding the bins or allowing the technology to help feed the people in better ways. AR is a tool that is not intended to end the problem of hunger, but rather could serve every plate as a step towards mindfulness and sustainable consumption.