SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2026 — Afresh, the AI platform for grocery, has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: AI-Native Software for Product Sustainability Across the Product Life Cycle, 2026 report (doc #US54821026, August 2026).

Afresh's proprietary AI accounts for the messy data and uncertainty always present in grocery operations. While most retail software assumes complete, stable data, grocery is different and requires technology built for shifting demand, rapidly shorter shelf life, and new seasonal items. To do this, the platform ingests structured data (POS, order management, promotional/pricing, WMS, ERP) and unstructured data (opportunity-buy emails), feeding both into the AI systems that integrate insights directly into the decision flow. As a result, Afresh's models are 10–40% more accurate on inventory positions than traditional predictive inventory systems, account for a 25% reduction in shrink, and kept over 200 million pounds of fresh food out of landfills in 2025. It's clear evidence that AI purpose-built for grocery can solve one of the industry's largest sustainability problems: food waste at scale.

The platform also focuses on exception-based agentic workflows automating routine ordering, buying, and inventory counting tasks to ensure human judgment is used for the most important tasks.This saves busy grocery store employees time and helps ensure consistent approach that keeps food fresh in an industry with high turnover and frequent supply shocks. 

"Food waste is one of those rare problems where the environmental and economic incentives are perfectly aligned: every pound of food we keep from going to waste is better for the planet and better for a grocer's P&L," said Matt Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer, Afresh. "We built Afresh because grocery is fundamentally different from the rest of retail and deserves technology designed around its complexity. We believe being recognized as an IDC Innovator is exciting validation that purpose-built AI can help grocers make better decisions at scale."

About IDC Innovators

An IDC Innovators report presents a set of vendors chosen by an IDC analyst within a specific market that offer a new technology, a groundbreaking solution to an existing issue, and/or an innovative business model. It is not an exhaustive evaluation or a comparative ranking of all companies, but rather a document that highlights innovative companies in a specific market segment. IDC INNOVATOR and IDC INNOVATORS are trademarks of International Data Group, Inc.

About Afresh Technologies

Afresh is the AI platform for Grocery — built for how grocery actually operates, from the fresh perimeter to center store and retail to distribution centers. The Afresh platform helps grocers make smarter decisions about what to buy, order, produce, and sell across the entire operation, delivering higher profits, less waste, and fresher food on the shelf. Founded in 2017 with the mission to eliminate food waste and make fresh food accessible to all, Afresh today supports more than 12,700 departments across 40 states, partnering with Albertsons Companies, Stater Bros., Meijer, Wakefern, and more