AI food tech startup Metafoodx raises $9.4M to tackle $382B kitchen waste with 3D scanning

Food waste is a trillion-dollar problem hiding in plain sight. In commercial kitchens, as much as 30% of food never makes it to a plate—overproduced, uneaten, and tossed. That waste adds up to $382 billion a year, all while kitchens struggle to keep costs under control and meet rising sustainability expectations.

Metafoodx thinks AI can fix that.

The startup has developed a smart 3D scanner that helps food service operators track what’s being made, what’s being served, and what’s being thrown out. It captures data on the fly, scanning food to log weight, temperature, and whether it’s being reused, donated, or discarded. With that info, kitchens can tighten up their forecasting, streamline production, and dramatically reduce waste.

Metafoodx Raises $9.4M to Bring AI and Automation to the Fight Against Food Waste

To scale the effort, Metafoodx just closed a $9.4 million funding round led by Trustbridge Partners, with participation from BlueRun Ventures and ScalableVision Capital.

“Commercial kitchens are turning to technology to reduce waste, control costs, and meet sustainability goals, catapulting the food technology market to more than $80 billion in the next five years,” said a lead investor at Trustbridge. “Metafoodx has tapped into this opportunity with advanced AI and scanning technology in a sleek, practical device that delivers fast ROI and savings.”

Its patented 3D AI scanner is built for the front lines of food operations, capturing the image, weight, and temperature of every plate or pan in just two seconds. Think of it as a data-powered co-pilot for kitchen teams—it helps track not just what’s being prepared, but what’s actually eaten, what’s left behind, why it wasn’t used, and where it ends up, whether that’s compost, donation, or reuse.

Metafoodx Mobile AI Scanner

The scanner isn’t just smart—it’s fast. In seconds, it links food to menu items, logs it for compliance, and helps kitchens understand their consumption patterns in real time. That means less guesswork and more precision. Metafoodx says its system can reduce waste by up to 50% and deliver a 200% return on investment within weeks.

The company’s work has already caught the attention of big names. Metafoodx was recently awarded a 2025 Kitchen Innovations Award from the National Restaurant Association, with judges including experts from the U.S. Air Force, Disney, and Aramark.

“The magic behind Metafoodx is our ability to tackle food waste at its source,” said Fengmin Gong, co-founder and CEO. “We’ve made it incredibly easy for operators to use data from their own kitchens to improve ordering, food prep, and serving to reduce their waste by 90%.”

Metafoodx’s platform is already being used by universities and food service providers across the country. And with fresh capital in hand, the team is betting on a future where smart kitchens don’t just feed people—they waste less doing it.