Loblaws Changing How Canadians Eat

At the inaugural Arrell Food Summit, Loblaw CEO Galen G. Weston laid out an innovative vision for Canada’s food markets. Applying robotics, AI, and smart technologies, Loblaw plans to bring Canadians together through food while lowering footprint and reducing waste.

Organized by the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, the three-day summit featured speakers including Astronaut Roberta Bondar, Head of Technology Industries at World Economic Forum Danil Kerimi, Hope Professor of Zoology at Oxford University Sir Charles Godfray and other luminaries.

Galen G. Weston told his audience that customers used to just want lower prices, but increasingly they now desire a personal chef experience. A meal at home is no longer just a chore but a lifestyle. A personal chef helps you shop, knows what you like to eat, your portion size, your dietary requirements, your environmental concerns, etc. While Loblaw is not offering personal chef services, they are planning to use smart technologies to drive towards similar experiences.

Loblaws’ smartphone app can track your purchasing history and provide you with offers when their analytics algorithm thinks you may need refills. Analysing your consumption history can help Loblaws package the right portion size for you, thereby reducing food waste. While the algorithms are quite basic at the moment, they are expected become more intelligent over time. If smart fridge takes off, Loblaws’ app could conceivably monitor when you actually run out of certain items rather than using estimates.

To help you shop, Loblaws has launched Instacart and PC Express. The idea is you can do your grocery shopping online at the office computer, then when you leave the office pick up your purchases from the PC Express lockers at GO Train stations. This reduces what Weston called the “friction” of putting together a home cooked meal. Also available are store pickup, neighbourhood pickup, and one-hour home delivery.

Loblaw aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 relative to 2011 and reduce food waste by 50% by 2025 relative to 2016. Weston told his audience that livestock contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To help lower carbon footprint, Loblaw plans to launch thirty products next year, including plant based proteins like kefir and alternative proteins like cricket powder. Other initiatives to lower footprint include sourcing more produce from local farmers, using robotics and greenhouse technologies to extend local growing seasons, converting truck fleet and transport refrigeration to electric (see: Canadians Prefer Businesses with Green Vehicles).

As shoppers become more environmentally conscious, Loblaws envision a long term future when a home cooked meal can bring the family together while minimizing impact to the environment.

Images: Loblaw, Samsung