Quantifying food intake is rarely done.  Manual monitoring efforts are typically error-prone, inconsistent and labor-intensive. Employees are often left searching through trash bags, trying to measure how much of their food was left unconsumed, but with this technology, we can quantify the food intake in an automated way.  

Specifically, when the plated meal is ready to be served to the customer, the camera snaps a “before” photo as it leaves the kitchen. After the customer consumes as much food as they can and the table is cleared, the plate is brought back to the kitchen, where another camera then snaps an “after” photo.

A computer algorithm then measures how much food was left on the plate and can calculate the total food intake for that meal. This process is repeated for every meal, collecting data, and providing the healthcare providers with critical information to improve health outcomes.