Top: Rendering of Mill’s recently announced commercial-scale food recycler. Image courtesy Mill Industries, Inc.
Amazon and Mill Industries Inc. (Mill) announced a partnership in December 2025 to bring an industry-first innovation to Whole Foods Market stores that is designed to reduce in-store food waste. The grocer will be the first to deploy Mill Commercial, Mill’s new, automated, high-capacity food recycling infrastructure. Starting in 2027, fruit and vegetable scraps generated in back-of-house operations at Whole Foods Markets will be processed and turned into a nutrient-rich chicken feed ingredient intended for Whole Foods Market’s private-label egg suppliers. In addition, Mill received an investment from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to enable the deployment of this technology.
“Since we launched the Mill food recycler for the home market in 2023, we have continually been asked when Mill is going to make a ‘big one,’” explains Harry Tannenbaum, Mill co-founder. “Offering a commercial-scale unit was always the plan, and it has been helpful to have hard data and experience from our residential food recycler deployment to inform the design and deployment of Mill Commercial. A big part of this story is Whole Foods Market, which has been an incredible first customer to collaborate with to bring Mill Commercial to market. And there is still a chicken in the story!” (When Mill went to market in 2023, an “output pathway” for the dried and ground residential food scraps was as an ingredient for chicken feed.)
The company says it is introducing advanced AI capabilities into the physical realm of grocery and food service businesses with a system that brings diversion as close to the point of generation as possible. Its approach uses AI to track and measure food waste in real time to identify what’s being thrown away, how much, and how best to reuse the resource. “The AI capabilities help drive source reduction by capturing high-precision data at the point of generation to inform food waste prevention practices by learning exactly what is being thrown away,” notes Tannenbaum. “This tight coupling of hardware and software and customization of AI hasn’t existed until today to make food waste prevention operationally, logistically and financially viable.”
Fruit and vegetable scraps are being targeted for diversion initially for several reasons: they are a significant component of Whole Foods’ residuals stream, are universal to all of Whole Foods Market stores, and enable production of a chicken feed ingredient that meets Whole Foods’ animal welfare standards. Initial deployment of the commercial unit will take place at Whole Foods Markets in 2026, with broad-based deployment across all stores in 2027. In addition to grocery stores, Mill plans to market its food waste solution to restaurants, hotels, stadiums, schools and other venues that can realize “larger scale benefits that can accrue,” says Tannenbaum.
