Retailer welcomes next step towards ‘future of agentic commerce’ as it works with Google to roll out system for berries and grapes
One of North America’s leading retailers says it has created its own AI-powered quality inspection tool for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Albertsons’ patent-pending Intelligent Quality Control system apparently uses computer vision to help staff in its distribution centres maintain high standards.
According to the company, it was built in house by its technology and supply chain teams, with advisory support and technology infrastructure from Google Cloud as an enterprise partner.
It makes use of Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise, including Vision AI and Gemini models.
“Early results show it’s been incredibly helpful in increasing the consistency of quality rating which is crucial for highly perishable products such as fruits and vegetables,” said Evan Rainwater, chief supply officer at Albertsons.
“This is just the latest advancement in how we are using AI within our multi-billion-dollar supply chain to improve operational efficiencies, improve product quality and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction.”
Improved workflow
As part of the distribution centre’s workflow, the quality inspector feeds an image of the fresh produce into the tool.
The platform then evaluates visual characteristics against Albertsons’ established quality standards and provides a “highly accurate” rating and recommendation to the inspector for approval.
By reducing ambiguity and enabling more data-driven decision-making, the retailer says the tool enables its teams to achieve “greater accuracy, consistency and confidence” in their work.
Live now in selected facilities, the tool is initially focused on quality inspections for strawberries and red and green grapes.
The company said it aimed to extend that coverage across its entire berry section soon, with plans to scale it nationwide and incorporate more fresh products after that.
“This collaboration with Albertsons demonstrates the transformative power of applying advanced AI, like Vision AI and Gemini, to the core of the supply chain,” said Jose Gomes, vice-president of retail and consumer packaged goods at Google Cloud.
“Ensuring quality consistency for fresh produce is a complex, logistical challenge. By advising on this intelligent component, we are helping Albertsons drive efficiency and, most importantly, deliver on their promise of fresh, high-quality food to their customers. This is the future of agentic commerce.”
