'New AI app helps track food stocks during COVID-19 outbreak'

A novel artificial intelligence (AI) based food monitoring smartphone app can help households keep better track of their fridge and cupboard food stocks during the COVID-19 pandemic, say scientists, including those from India.

The outbreak has totally changed most people's food buying habits -- from stockpiling groceries in the early weeks of the crisis to shopping less often, at different times and in different ways, according to the researchers at the University of Essex in the UK.

However, these changes have also meant households run the risk of having more food wastage as they adapt to new shopping routines, they said.

Using AI, the 'nosh' app allows the users to track the expiry date of food items along with their buying and food waste habits, which enables them to make an informed decision on what items to buy.

The users can plan their shopping in-app before they go out to buy the items, said the researchers, including Suman Saha from the University of Engineering and ...